a million monkeys

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Tuesday, 26 February 2013

Spam and Eggs

Posted on 17:30 by john mickal
I wouldn't check my spam box every morning except some of the nicest people end up in there. I've even fished you out from time to time, floundering somewhere between Ladies Love Size and Release Your Inner Ellen Degeneres.

They say our social media purveyors, using some algorithm made up of facebook, blogger, friends, and comments, assemble and sell a profile of each of us to various spamitizers. Which I find rather unsettling, considering the contents of my spam.

I'm targeted pretty specifically; my ads come in four basic flavors: Weight loss, wrist watches, self-assertion, and orgies.

The weight loss clinics ("Don't Move and Get Thin") apparently eschew pesky old fashioned techniques such as diet and exercise. In fact, it seems, calorie reduction and exertion of any sort simply packs on the pounds. Should I at any point heave myself out of my Barcalounger and waddle across the floor, that, according to the Salma Hayek program, is a recipe for disaster. Success will come to she who sits and waits. Which in my case is preaching to the choir. It's a regimen I've followed for years, though maybe I fidget too much.

The wrist watch vendors, on the other hand, dazzle me with knockoffs, swiss-ish timepieces, custom designed for those in the market for the cheap and illegal.

And don't get me started on the self-assertion options -- Deepak, drums, screams.

As for the orgies my spam has on offer, we're not talking cozy little threesomes here, but parties, chock full of intriguing characters. And many famous faces (yeah, wouldn't you like to know).

Put it all together, though, and we get a disturbing picture. My profile spells fat nagging bitch clock watcher. The orgy wallflower, invited along because she's the only one who can tell the time. The kind of girl who at the appropriate moment will blow a whistle and shout, "Hey sport, that's four hours, so let's wrap it up and get some immediate medical attention around here."

Somehow I thought the cloud would see me as someone, I don't know, more glamorous or something. Although I am receiving a trickle of sleep deprivation spam lately, so perhaps the cloud thinks all is not hopeless. Thinks it's possible I am, after all, attractive to one of the orgy's more discerning movie stars -- the kind of guy who appreciates a woman who can both read a Rolexalike and rock a muumuu.
Read More
Posted in spam and eggs | No comments

Friday, 22 February 2013

Good Lord

Posted on 17:00 by john mickal


This Lady lives two blocks away from my house. She used to have back-up, but from what I can tell, now she looks after the entire town all by herself.

I've been working on a piece about feminism and the Tidy Bowl man. If I can ever bring it together, you'll be the first to know. In the meantime, let me share Kevin McCollister's series featuring East LA Madonnas.

Me -- I like having a Madonna in the general vicinity. I'm a non-believer who wears a St. Christopher's medal and carries a ridiculous amount of homeowner's insurance.
Read More
Posted in altadena, altadena madonna, kevin mccollister | No comments

Monday, 18 February 2013

Altadena, lost and found

Posted on 19:30 by john mickal


This summer, M and I started a weekly ritual, a walk out and about in Altadena. While we agree on many things (not so many it's boring, not so few it's irritating), she wasn't, initially, so keen about my favorite pastime -- trespassing on deserted properties.

In fact, she was kind of nervous about the whole thing, and her husband, more so. "Call me from prison and I'll make bail," he'd say as we were leaving.



It was on our third walk or so that M and I got sort of outed, lounging on the front porch of an empty house.

"We can't sit on a stranger's porch, can we? What if the owner comes home?" she said.

"Relax. This place is deserted. Note the old flyers stuck in the screen, the newspapers in the driveway. Trust me, I'm an expert at this stuff. Anyhow, worst case scenario, I'll just say I'm a journalist and want an interview; works every time."

Minutes later, a truck pulled up. Two guys jumped out and approached us with a certain amount of aggression.

"Do you live here?" I asked, brightly.

The two looked at each other, and one nodded.

"Oh, how lucky. I write a weekly column for the local news. Do you have time for an interview? Can you tell me about the woodwork -- is it quarter-sown oak?"

They didn't speak English, so after a little more chatter on our part, we smiled and waved and skipped out to the street as the gate slammed and locked behind us.

"That was close," said M.

"Relax. Like I said, the journalist-thing works every time."



After a number of months, M has developed a real thirst for this form of exploration. We find a place, and she's all about, "Check out this window," and "Try the door," and "This basement looks very interesting."



She's right. Some of the old houses are worth a look, a deep and thorough look, before they end their days as bad stucco jobs or tear downs.



Our latest find is an old farmhouse. Maybe from the late 1800's? Doesn't seem long for the world. As we poked around the tool shed, M held up a rusted something and waved it around. "I found a coal scuttle!"

"Oh Jeez, put it down; that's like tetanus waiting to happen."

"Come here and help me with the cellar door," she said.



I glanced up. It seemed a curtain moved.

I whispered, "M, the window -- I think I saw someone."



"You think?"

"Maybe we'd better..."

"Maybe we'd better go to the front door? You're right! Come on. You knock."


."

"Me, knock?"

"What are you afraid of?" M shoved me up the porch. "Just say you're a journalist and want an interview. Works every time."
Read More
Posted in altadena, altadena history, Altadena homes | No comments

Friday, 15 February 2013

Altadena, on Sam Merrill Trail

Posted on 18:00 by john mickal


Virginia, a professional photographer who knows her way around a stranger, seduces her subjects with, "Do y'all mahnd if Ah tayke your picture?" She can get away with that, she's from Alabama.



I just raise the camera and say,



"Hey, give us a smile."



It works, most of the time.



But it pays to be careful; we're a litigious society. This guy, for instance, was not amused and threatened to sue.
Read More
Posted in altadena, altadena dogs, altadena faces | No comments

Tuesday, 12 February 2013

Heavenly Calling

Posted on 00:00 by john mickal
I've been job-hunting lately, or more accurately, I've been waiting for a job to hunt me -- preferably something that's short on hours, long on the do-re-mi. And what do you know -- a position opened up just this week. From what I can tell, it's a match made in heaven. Thank god for Linked-in.

Yes, it's Pope. And don't even think about it; I got there first.

It's a part time job with benefits -- Medical, meals, housing, company car (I'm praying for a Subaru). No dental, but perhaps that's just as well. As they say, if you want to see a fresco, go to Rome; if you want to see a dentist, go to La Canada.

The position has a strict dress code, caftans and bathrobes, mainly. But as someone who has spent the better part of two years working from home, you'll hear no complaints from this quarter.

As for character, I think I have what they're looking for. I'm perky, chatty, and can forgive almost anything at the drop of a mitre. My choral work can bring tears to your eyes. I welcome, even indulge in, philosophical debates, like, How many angels dancing on the head of a pin does it take to screw in a light bulb. Kind of makes you think, doesn't it?

But now we come to the elefante in the stanza. The potential deal breaker that will take some pretty fancy footwork on the cover letter that accompanies my job application. No, it's not the Latin thing. The way I see it, a well-placed Etcetera can cover a multitude of sins. And it's not the Bible thing, I've seen the movie.

But, I fear, as with any job, it's all in who you know. I checked Facebook and in four years, I've friended not a single bishop. I haven't even liked them. So I'm spending the entire evening rushing to their pages, pasting "Oh man, are you wise or what?" "From your lips to god's ear," and "Move over Deepak Chopra" on their timelines.

I expect I'll be put through the wringer -- three interviews, at least. If you want to see how I'm doing, no need to follow me on Twitter. Just keep an eye on my chimney.
Read More
Posted in pope | No comments

Thursday, 7 February 2013

A three hour tour, a three hour tour

Posted on 23:45 by john mickal
Today, on a whale watching expedition off Dana Point. And while the tour was heavy on sea lions and pelicans,



it was surprisingly light on whales. According to our guide, they're out there somewhere, and we'll just have to trust him on that.



As I've never watched a whale before, I really wasn't disappointed in not watching a whale again.


When it comes to the great Pacific, I'm all about the sea dogs.
Read More
Posted in | No comments

Monday, 4 February 2013

Couples

Posted on 20:15 by john mickal

The tractor and I spent the weekend together. Working on our relationship. I can see where this is going -- I talk, he shuts down.

We tried sharing some activities, walking, mainly. I can push all his buttons, yet still can't see the big picture.

Because why? Because, on top of all his other demands, this spoiled baby has a lens cap. Ooooh, I can't get an image until you take my cap off. Ooooh, brrr, we're finished, you need to put my cap on again. Off, on; off, on. Holy mother of god, what fresh hell is this?

So let's take a seat and listen to some music, shall we? I cued this up once, in a different relationship, during a romantic moment.

He said, "That's beautiful."

And I said, "Really?"

And he said, "I recognize this; it's one of my favorites."

And I said, "Lakme?"

And he said, "Like you? I love you. And I love this music. It's from one of the best Lexus commercials ever. Play it again."

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who believe it's all about the journey, and those who believe it's all about the destination. I say, any road is the perfect road if it takes you where you want to go.


Read More
Posted in Lakme Flower Duet, Nikon | No comments

Saturday, 2 February 2013

Making Do

Posted on 10:00 by john mickal

This week I lost my Canon Powershot in the drink. Not my drink, I hasten to add. The camera slipped from my pocket as I was crossing a stream. Although we located the body and dragged it to shore, the little fella looked all done in.

So that leaves me with the Nikon. The giant Nikon I bought two years ago and couldn't park in the closet fast enough.

I expect I'll get used to all the buttons and dials eventually, but I'll never get used to the size and heft and that bulbous lens. The little Powershot could hide inside my breast pocket and was always ready for a surreptitious photo op or two. The Nikon, on the other hand, is just about as subtle as a tractor.


Read More
Posted in Canon powershot, Nikon | No comments
Newer Posts Older Posts Home
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • A favor
    I don't often ask that you visit my Patch piece . Perhaps for good reason. But would you give a little foot traffic today? It has someth...
  • Inside the Castle Green
    If you're lucky enough to have a friend like Dianne Patrizzi -- and kids, it's best not to count on this, or think you'll win th...
  • Easy Writer
    There's a book out about the habits of successful writers. Turns out, near the top of the list, almost all famous writers write their be...
  • Mathematics
    The first rain of autumn is the beginning of the world. The tenth rain of autumn is really, really wet. UPDATE: Angelica, the cat I posted ...
  • That's just sick
    There are few things more boring than someone who drones on and on about a run-of-the-mill illness. Where it hurts; how it feels; which visc...
  • Keeping Hahamongna on the map
    Hahamongna Watershed Park is our little bit of wet and wild land, bordered, cornered, by three towns -- south, east, west. It's at the m...
  • America, my corner
    The leaves of a certain mimosa plant shrink away from the touch of a human hand. Here, we call it the sensitive plant; in Viet Nam, it’s kn...
  • Good Stories
    “I’m going to tell y’all a story,” my southern friend says to us, “about the time my granddaddy taught me to drive. It was one day in summe...
  • What I want; what I really, really want
    All my life I thought I wanted a craftsman house. And when I couldn't afford one, I told the real estate agent, "Just find me some ...
  • He'll Be Back -- for his toothbrush
    On the other hand, maybe he'll be forgiven. It wouldn't be the first time; it wouldn't be the hundredth. Cheating in a marriage,...

Categories

  • #RoyalBabyNames
  • 2011 Ford Fiesta
  • 206-414-4027
  • Alan Ladd
  • albert
  • albert and phoebe
  • albert at work
  • albert wants a girlfriend
  • albert watches golf channel
  • all state insurance
  • Alt
  • altadena
  • Altadena Advancedmeters
  • Altadena Almansor Center
  • Altadena Authors
  • altadena banana
  • altadena banana plant
  • altadena birds
  • Altadena Blogger Picnic
  • altadena cats
  • Altadena Coffee Gallery
  • Altadena Community Garden
  • altadena crows
  • altadena dogs
  • altadena economic indicators
  • altadena faces
  • Altadena firefighters
  • altadena flowers
  • altadena gangs
  • altadena garages
  • altadena gardening
  • altadena gardens
  • Altadena Halloween
  • altadena hardware
  • Altadena Haunted House
  • altadena heat wave
  • Altadena Heritage
  • altadena hiker
  • altadena hiker goes to huntington gardens
  • altadena hiking
  • altadena history
  • Altadena home improvement
  • Altadena homes
  • altadena homestead
  • altadena horses
  • Altadena houses
  • Altadena IRS phone scam
  • altadena library
  • altadena madonna
  • altadena memorial day
  • Altadena MonteCedro
  • altadena murder on windsor
  • altadena neighbors
  • altadena organic gardening
  • altadena patch
  • altadena poets
  • altadena quarantine
  • altadena rats
  • altadena real estate
  • altadena santa ana winds
  • altadena skeptic
  • altadena stables
  • Altadena sunset
  • altadena walk
  • Altadena Wind
  • Altadena winter
  • altadena woman of the year
  • altadenahiker
  • altadenahiker club
  • altbert
  • Amanda Knox
  • angeles hiking
  • angelina jolie
  • animal rescue
  • Annual Altadena Primavera Picnic
  • April 15
  • arabella huntington
  • arcadia oak woodland
  • Arizona hotshots
  • Art at the Altadena Community Garden
  • Art in Altadena
  • artists at work
  • astrology
  • australian open
  • Bad Writing
  • Bad Writing the Movie
  • beauty
  • beethoven
  • beetles
  • Beholder Breeders Cup
  • Ben Pruskin
  • Best 1st lines in Lit
  • bets on new baby names
  • Bird watching
  • Bird watching in pasadena
  • Bitcoin
  • blog membership fees
  • blt
  • blubs
  • bluegrass music
  • body art
  • books
  • borage
  • boxer dogs
  • boxer rescue
  • boxers
  • Breeders Cup
  • Breeders Cup 2013
  • Breeders Cup Distaff
  • Breeders cup santa anita
  • Brisbane floods
  • Caetano Veloso
  • California drought
  • California financial crisis
  • california heat wave
  • Canon powershot
  • car wreck
  • Cary Grant
  • Casa Madero
  • Castle Green
  • ceci n'est pas une pipe
  • champ rescue
  • champaign friendships
  • champaign illinois
  • Cheap thrills in home improvement
  • childhood
  • childhood friends
  • Chopin
  • christmas
  • Christmas smackdown
  • Christopher Guest
  • city near altadena
  • clocker's corner
  • Colorado Street Bridge
  • corporate communications
  • corporate sponsorships
  • crows
  • cures for flu
  • current events
  • david sedaris
  • David Ulin
  • dean spanley
  • death
  • Death and Taxes
  • Debussy
  • DecoLiner
  • delayed gratification
  • Depardieu
  • Désirée Zamorano
  • Devil's Gate Dam
  • Devils Gate Dam
  • dianne patrizzi
  • Documentary Bad Writing
  • dog rescue
  • dog training
  • dogs
  • dogs of altadena
  • Don't buy a Ford Fiesta
  • Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto
  • downtown altadena
  • Downtown LA
  • dreams
  • driving one
  • driving to work
  • driving two
  • E coli breakout
  • Eagle Rock
  • Early Morning
  • earthquake
  • east of mid town
  • East of West LA
  • echo mountain
  • Echo Mountain Altadena
  • Escape
  • Evanston Inn Pasadena
  • Evaristo
  • even better homes and gardens
  • explorer insurance
  • facebook
  • father's day
  • favorite teachers
  • first jobs
  • Fiscal Cliff
  • Flintridge
  • flu
  • food of the gods
  • Ford
  • ford fiesta
  • Ford Fiesta Failure
  • Ford Fiesta Happy Ending
  • Ford Fiesta Transmission Problems
  • ford warranty
  • Ford warranty failures
  • Friday tour of Castle Green
  • friends
  • Friends of Castle Green
  • friendship
  • Frognerparken
  • gardeners
  • gardening Altadena
  • Gary Stevens
  • George Saunders
  • Gipsy Kings
  • Globe thistle
  • goldman sachs
  • Gore Vidal
  • government shutdown
  • Grand Slam Tennis
  • growing up in Illinois
  • Hahamongna
  • Harper Lee
  • henry huntington
  • hi-way host
  • hildegarde flanner
  • history
  • home improvement
  • home ownership
  • homes
  • homeschooling
  • house sparrows
  • Houses
  • how we live
  • huntington
  • huntington gardens
  • i didn't mean to listen
  • I Write Like
  • I'm lying
  • ice house canyon
  • internet addiction
  • Irene Dunne
  • IRS
  • IRS phone scam
  • Isner and Mahut
  • italian deli
  • James Garner
  • james hemela
  • James Joyce
  • James Joyce The Dead
  • japan
  • jobs
  • justice
  • Karl Ove Knausgaard
  • kay nielsen
  • keeping beneficial insects in your garden
  • kevin mccollister
  • kindergarten
  • kitchen disaster
  • Knausgaard
  • kundera
  • La Canada Flintridge
  • la crescenta
  • ladybugs
  • lake avenue
  • Lakme Flower Duet
  • Lanterman House
  • learning photography
  • lincoln heights
  • lincoln heights library
  • local radio
  • Loretta MacDonald
  • los angeles
  • Los Angeles history
  • lost in america
  • Manny Rodriguez
  • Marengo Avenue Pasadena
  • Margaret Finnegan
  • Margherita Arrigo Catalano
  • mariposa creamery
  • mark twain
  • marriage
  • marshmallows
  • martha argerich
  • Mary poppins
  • matthew
  • Maverick
  • media
  • Memorial Day
  • Mexico
  • Michele Obama bangs
  • mid-century modern architecture
  • midterm elections
  • midweek matinee
  • miley cyrus
  • miss maudie
  • Mohamed Lahyani
  • Mount Everest
  • Mountain View Cemetery
  • movies
  • Mt. Soledad cross
  • murdoch
  • music
  • MWBA at Cobb Estate
  • my dad
  • My pet garden pasadena
  • My Struggle
  • myra hess
  • Nanny looks like Mary Poppins
  • naperville
  • naperville Mrs. Warnell
  • neighbors
  • new yorker rejection
  • new zodiac signs
  • news of the world
  • newt gingrich
  • newt the cat
  • Newtown and the Media
  • Neymar
  • Nikon
  • nobel prizes
  • Norm Schureman
  • Norman Maclean
  • Norway
  • novel first lines
  • November elections
  • npr
  • off the freeway
  • opening angeles crest highway
  • oriental fruit fly altadena
  • palm on art
  • pasadena
  • pasadena architecture
  • pasadena daily photo
  • pasadena humane society
  • Pasadena Library
  • patch altadena
  • peeps
  • peter o'toole
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman
  • phoebe
  • phone number 206-414-4027
  • photography
  • piano
  • pit bulls
  • poetry
  • pope
  • porky pig it
  • portrait of phoebe
  • Post Station Fire
  • presidential candidates
  • pri the world
  • prince george and nanny
  • princess kabbah
  • provolone
  • psilocybin mushrooms
  • puya
  • Qingyun Ma
  • radio lab
  • rain in altadena
  • Rainer Fassbinder
  • Rat sold as lamb
  • Rats
  • Ravel
  • raw veganish
  • reading
  • rescue dogs and cats
  • Rob Ford
  • robert mitchum
  • royal baby names
  • running
  • running in altadena
  • Sam Merrill trail
  • same-sex marriage
  • san gabriel valley blogger annual picnic
  • San Gabriel Winds
  • san rafael
  • santa ana winds
  • Santa Anita Breeders cup
  • santa anita clockers corner
  • santa anita racetrack in arcadia
  • sarah vowell
  • Satie
  • school
  • schwarzenegger
  • Scripps Home
  • Scripps Home for the Aged
  • shakespeare
  • Shame
  • Shane
  • Sidewalk art
  • sierra madre
  • sierra madre pioneer cemetary
  • sierra madre pioneer cemetery
  • Sir Edmund Hillary
  • Smokejumpers
  • SoCal Gas meter readers
  • soccer fields in Hahamongna
  • some good news Brisbane floods
  • south pasadena
  • South Pasadena Water Tower
  • Spackle
  • spam
  • spam and eggs
  • Star Ford
  • Star Ford Glendale
  • station fire
  • steve coogan
  • Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon
  • stories
  • Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden
  • Suicide Bridge
  • Suicide Bridge Pasadena
  • summer reading
  • summer solstice
  • summer solstice great gatsby
  • synesthesia
  • tats
  • Taxes
  • tennis
  • texas rewrites history
  • Thankgiving
  • Thanksgiving
  • The Amado Women
  • The Awful Truth
  • the coffee gallery
  • The death of Van Cliburn
  • The High Seas
  • The Huntington
  • The pitch
  • the secret life of bloggers
  • the trip
  • the writing life
  • This American Life
  • Thoughts on Boston Marathon
  • To kill a mockingbird
  • tomatoes
  • toto le heros
  • Truman Capote
  • Uncle Harald
  • urban homestead trademark
  • urban homesteading
  • Van Cliburn
  • Vandy
  • verdugo road
  • Vernon Lott
  • victor henderson
  • Victoria Liptak
  • vintage advertising
  • waiting for guffman
  • walking altadena
  • Weekend Matinee
  • Why I hate Ford
  • william sonoma and three others
  • willpower
  • Wilma Subra
  • wimbledon
  • words
  • working
  • workspaces
  • World Cup Soccer
  • Writing
  • writing in altadena
  • Wuthering Heights
  • Yahoo news
  • Yarnell Hill
  • Young men and fire
  • zane grey
  • zane grey altadena
  • zane grey altadena hiker
  • zenyatta

Blog Archive

  • ►  2014 (33)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  July (5)
    • ►  June (4)
    • ►  May (5)
    • ►  April (5)
    • ►  March (5)
    • ►  February (5)
    • ►  January (3)
  • ▼  2013 (102)
    • ►  December (5)
    • ►  November (8)
    • ►  October (10)
    • ►  September (8)
    • ►  August (8)
    • ►  July (9)
    • ►  June (9)
    • ►  May (11)
    • ►  April (8)
    • ►  March (10)
    • ▼  February (8)
      • Spam and Eggs
      • Good Lord
      • Altadena, lost and found
      • Altadena, on Sam Merrill Trail
      • Heavenly Calling
      • A three hour tour, a three hour tour
      • Couples
      • Making Do
    • ►  January (8)
  • ►  2012 (97)
    • ►  December (7)
    • ►  November (6)
    • ►  October (6)
    • ►  September (4)
    • ►  August (6)
    • ►  July (8)
    • ►  June (8)
    • ►  May (11)
    • ►  April (8)
    • ►  March (11)
    • ►  February (10)
    • ►  January (12)
  • ►  2011 (148)
    • ►  December (11)
    • ►  November (15)
    • ►  October (16)
    • ►  September (11)
    • ►  August (14)
    • ►  July (14)
    • ►  June (10)
    • ►  May (12)
    • ►  April (13)
    • ►  March (10)
    • ►  February (11)
    • ►  January (11)
  • ►  2010 (120)
    • ►  December (11)
    • ►  November (10)
    • ►  October (12)
    • ►  September (13)
    • ►  August (12)
    • ►  July (13)
    • ►  June (12)
    • ►  May (14)
    • ►  April (12)
    • ►  March (11)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

john mickal
View my complete profile