A stone temple pilot's song was just playing and I was freaking out because I hadn’t heard it in like oh, 8 years. so I was totally having this STP freak out, and remembered that I had the album on tape. About tapes: I was one of those people in 1996 who believed that CD's were a 3 year trend- tops. I have so many tapes in a box somewhere in Alaska that I don’t really know what to do about it. All of my "grunge" and what was then called "alternative" music is on tape. I am reluctant to buy STP, Sound Garden, Pearl Jam, etc. on CD because the cheap bastard in me says "but dude, you have them all on tape." so my CD collection lacks... However, after hearing that song that I hadn't heard in years - I think I might have to make the investment. or just buy an ipod and a mac and a subscription to some music site, because CD's are a dying trend...

I was looking at my pile of clothes on the floor last night, and thought about how every article of clothing there, I purchased and owned. I said to myself: "my parents have not seen any of the clothes, and probably won’t ever see them". Not that it's imperative that my parents see all of my clothing or anything like that, but I guess its just the thought that the people that once used to buy everything for me, and knew everything I owned are now so far away from that; and only know my clothing by what I take home during our one week together over Christmas.
Then I thought about materials and how right now, they seem so important, but really they are nothing. Like in 5 years I will most likely own nothing of the pile on the floor - I probably won't even remember most of it's contents - yet right now, that pile is basically what gets me from day to day (fully clothed). So anyway, maybe this is why our moms tell us to pick up our clothes from off the floor. It can cause too much thinking...

Oh, I had this dream that my friend and I were sitting on this dock chatting with each other while a party was happening behind us. All of a sudden this huge brown bear emerges from the lake. A girl goes up to the bear and starts hanging from one of it's arms. We sat and watched this bear mangle the girl, and then fight off the girls mom. Then my friend and I picked up our beers and walked away.

How many of you Friendster's out there got this message from that dude named Minger??

1. On a stroll through the countryside, you come across a field of delicious-looking strawberries. Your stomach starts to rumble, and no one else is around. Only a fence stands between a free lunch. How high is that fence?

2. You sneak into the garden and begin to help yourself to the fruit. How many berries do you eat?

3. Suddenly the farmer whose berries you're stealing appears out of nowhere and starts yelling at you. What do you say in your own defense?

4. After all is said and done, how did the berries taste? And looking back, how did you feel after your berry-stealing adventure was over?

My Friendster inbox is stuffed with thousands of messages. Send your answers to phoenix@minger.org.

I feel so "back to school" today. For some reason I have this dread that my clothes aren't cool enough, and I can't wait for lunch break to hang out with Monique in the commons area. A guy sits in my area that was talking about going back to school today - maybe that's why I feel the vibe. Or maybe it's because I packed a lunch.

This is great from Kevin Fanning and Reuben Stanton What I did on my Summer Vacation.

I love the U.S. Open, and find it really exciting that the Open will be broadcast all week from huge screens at Rockefeller Center! Apparently they are going so far as lining the whole plaza with fresh sod.

My favorite aspect of the suburbs is the feeling of cold cement on my bare feet when I take the trash out. Get's me every time.

I was right about Madonna being obsessed with Britney:
>>>>>>
Christina, 22, said: “Everyone wants to know about that damn kiss.
“She’s got a very soft lip — and she’s a very lovely kisser.
“I’ve kissed her numerous times — because at every rehearsal she wanted to do it right on every time.”
But Christina revealed that Britney, 22, had to be persuaded to give 45-year-old Madonna some lip service.
She added: “Britney was a little shy at first. Madonna kept having to go, ‘Britney, kiss me, kiss me!’”
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Who doesn't have soft lips?? I mean really. I would like to meet someone with rough lips so I can say "God, he was so cool - but when he went to kiss me, his lips were just so rough. It was a major turn off, and I asked that he take me home."
I mean seriously.

Things that I still have to do in NYC:
1. Sing at a night club. Progress: I have the song picked out, I have the piano player - I start voice lessons next week.
2. Visit Coney Island.
3. Visit the Cloisters.
4. Look at the John Lennon strawberry fields stone.
5. Go to the Opera.
6. See the NY Philharmonic.
7. Run the NYC marathon. haha. just kidding. but I would like to run the big Central Park loop.
8. It would be cool to camp out at the Museum of Natural History like Margo Tannenbaum. That would be cool.
9. Bike from the tip top of Manhattan, to the end of Manhattan.
10. Spend a morning at Fulton Fish Market
11. Visit the Stock Exchange.
12. See Rocky Horror Picture Show at the village theatre.
13. Run the east side river walkway
14. Visit Roosevelt Island.
15. Take a tour of the U.N.

So I have this fear of tarantulas. Even typing the word aids in my visioning them crawling under my desk. My back starts tingling, I start sweating, and panicking that they are crawling on me. I have to stop typing about this before I freak out. Overall, I know that I am relatively safe. I have vowed never to step foot in the states of Arizona, and New Mexico. It is a well known fact that during a family drive one summer from Alaska to South Padre Island, Texas - I did not get out of the car until we were at the Texas border. Living in NYC, I know to stay away from pet stores*. It is also a well known fact that when I see a picture of said arachnid I start screaming and throw the book/magazine across the room, stand up and start crying. That's how bad it is. Cry me a river. Once Elizabeth gave me a thank you card, and inside there was a big spider cut out from a magazine. She highly enjoyed watching me freak out, and then get furious at her. In doing all of this torture (she did it on numerous occasions) I no longer trust receiving any mail from her.
Anyway, all was going well with my phobia until the financial company SPDR started running that ad campaign featuring the big brown spider, and the black widow spider. These ads run in the two weekly's that I read: NY Times Mag & The New Yorker. Basically I have not read the NY times mag in a while, and luckily my summer roomie was a girl from Arizona who would ever so kindly go through the New Yorker before I read it, and rip out the ad. (I personally think she was tired of hearing me scream and throw it across the room.) Well, I no longer have the kind roommate to go through the mag for me - so this week's New Yorker has just been sitting here on my desk. Marcos stopped by, so I asked him to tear the ad out for me. He did so, and told me to write about my phobia. I asked why I would want to do that - to which he replied: "because your website is so you." So there, I wrote about my phobia.
*This is interesting to note - my 7 year old friend (she turned 8 last week - so that will take some adjusting too, when she gets back) is obsessed with pet stores. She finally succeeded in dragging me into the Petco on 86th - I asked the man working behind the counter were the spiders where kept, and he informed me that there were no arachnids in pet stores in New York City. He said that one of the first rules that Guilani passed, was that of banning the selling of Tarantulas in NYC. If that doesn’t make me love new york, I don't know what it will take.

One of the reasons that I do not have a comments box is because I fear it would become a big "Anise's family memory fest". My parents write me weekly with comments, I half think it might be fun to have a corner of the site dedicated to my parents comments. So as we all know, my dad is tired of the 5 questions, and thinks I cuss too much. Here is this week's observation (from my post about Nova) from my mom:
>>>>>>>>
Anise,
Do you remember that you liked NOVA as a kid too? You used to say things like, "Why don't you watch PBS more often it's educational" and "I love NOVA is it on yet?" Or you'd see the TV guide and say, "NOVA is on let's watch it!" Funny that you made your way back to it.
Love ya tons,
Mom
<<<<<<<<

I am officially freaked out after reading the article about NYC's water supply in the New Yorker. I actually purchased a 5 gallon container to store water. I used to think food/water storage was for freaks. Now I don't. I once knew this family in Alaska that was obsessed with food storage - they lived in a bunker, and used canned flour for walls. Like they had old coffee cans full of flour, and other grains. Then they had gallons full of water. I will never bee that afraid of running out of food; however I am totally convinced that people need to at least have some kind of storage container full of fresh drinking water. That's all I have to say about that.

I had a dream last night that I was with the boy and we were on a dance floor. He was telling me about a dream he had with me in it – about how when i left he felt sad and wanted me back more than anything, and about how when i came back – it was the best feeling in the world. I then told him that i had the exact same dream the night before. We were both wearing white. We then hugged each other and pressed up against the other. We embraced. I never wanted to leave his side. I felt so strongly for him. It was all i could do was think about being inside of his skin. Melting flesh together. After that moment we could not lie to anyone and went everywhere together. Attached at the proverbial hip.