Blog of Josh Hall

there’s major construction on the road i take home from work.  When i’m really tired, and i can tell it’s going to be at least 90 minutes to get home based on where traffic is backed up, I’ll pull into walmart parking lot and sleep.  This is what I did today.  Sometimes I sleep laying down across the bench of the truck, sometimes just reclining back in my chair, and today, I slept sitting as if i were driving, but laying over the middle console to my right.

In my dream, there was a lot going on before this moment.  But this moment, is the only thing that is worth talking about.  Really, it has nothing to do with the earlier parts of the dreams, the only thing in connection is the segway from what was going on previously.  That is, me and Sandra Bullock are trying to get away from something or someone.
   
    we’re in a college building of sorts, we were running down a hallway of sorts and back into what seemed to be a lab room with high counters and wood cabinets.  when we get in there, we seem to have evaded what was chasing us for a second, and I look up at the cabinet, and there’s this notebook pinned up against it.  On it, is really large sloppy writing, in what appears to be a child’s hand writing.  It says my name.  There’s something else on there, but I can’t make it out.  It’s familiar.  There was another mutual friend with us, and I look at him and I think it’s his, and I say, "what is this?  why do you have this?"  and i’m getting the sense that he’s kept this a secret from me, as if, this is something really important that I should have known about, or that he should have wanted to tell me about.  Sandra Bullock looks at it now, and she’s remembering a little bit about it now too.  It’s her writing.  We start to remember it was written a few years ago, when we first met back in college.  I ask her how old she is and she says 23, and I say I’m 24, and I said that I took a year off before going to college, and that this must have been from our freshmen year together in college.  And that I start getting hit with this intense memory of a relationship that was so amazing with this girl that was so amazing in my freshmen year.  For some reason, i remember having this great relationship, but no details at all about the girl.  I’m starting to realize it’s Sandra.  She’s having the same intense memories come back.  She fumbles around on the counter for something to write with and she grabs an automatic pencil that’s not writing well, she’s starting to get frantic to write something down, as if she is going to forget what she’s thinking forever if she doesn’t write it down.  I’m starting to get faint and light headed from the overwhelming rush of memories.  I’m trying to stay focused and i find a sharpie on the counter, and i’m urgently trying to help her write it down and make sure she gets it all, and i’m saying over and over "use the sharpie", and she’s leaning over, writing on the notepad on her knees rapidly, trying to get it all down, and i’m slowly losing consciousness.  She starts yelling to me as she writes, "Wait Josh! Wait!, Hold on!" and i start to lean across her back, still mumbling something about making sure she writes it down using the sharpie, all this time the intense memories keep rushing.

Then, I wake up.  But my eyes are still closed and i don’t move at all.  But i notice I’m breathing heavily.  Short deep breaths.  Then, I notice that i’m really crying.  not just sniffling crying, but nostril flaring, deep crying.  I pull myself together quickly.   I slowly sit up right, and my left hand is partially numb.  Which is weird, because the way i was laying, i’m not seeing how circulation was cut off to it.  What the heck was that?

They say New York is the city that never sleeps.  There’s always somewhere to go and something to do no matter what time of day (or night) it is.  I believe this to be because new york has so many people living in it, and so many people on different work/sleep/life cycles that business and such can justify staying open so late.  Here in pittsburgh, dowtown shops and restaurants are closed by 6pm.  When i was in vegas, that city never sleeps either.  you can go anywhere anytime of night and gamble and drink.  There are a lot of people there too.   So, as a city become more and more populated, it starts adjusting it’s own day life to fit the needs of it’s inhabitants.  Now, think of it on a national scale instead of just with a city.  You have places like wendy’s leaving their drive thru window open until 1am, and some mcdonald’s staying open 24 hours a day, and you have walmart open 24 hours a day.  These are fairly new business schedules.  Is that because the nation is becoming populated enough that it can support the store being open those times?  Maybe that mixed in with business’ wanting to meet a higher demand for alternative lifestyles?  Perhaps more and more people are working different hours instead of the 9-5.  If this trend continues, I’m seeing movie theaters being open 24/7, malls open 24/7, and anything else you can think of.  And as society makes it easier and easier for people to live alternative schedules, perhaps you’ll have people, like myself, being less inclined to be awake during the day, to function as "normal people" do.  Maybe one day, the night crew will be so many, that there truly will be a nation of night crawlers and day walkers.  Completely separate in culture, thinking, social constructs, and skin tone.  What happens to a nation that doesn’t sleep?

So, one of my life long goals is to build a house that i design.  I have a bunch of weird/unique ideas that i’d like to incoporate into the house, so i thought i’d post some of them here when i get them.  Welcome the house category.  One day, i’ll get some sketches down/scanned and show you what i’m thinking about.  A textual description will have to do for now.

I would like it to be 3 stories, but will go for 2 if money is an issue.  It will basically just be a big rectangle, large tan blocks walls, and the entrance will be a large half circle, the height of the house, black window frames ~4 feet high and ~2 feet wide.  The glass is "smart" glass and a switch inside would control the glass panes from being white, black, or transparent.  The entry way has rounded stair cases on either side that meet in the middle.  There is a center courtyard to the house, accessible to every room, possibly a pool in the center.  An arched "catwalk" would connect the left and right 2nd story over the middle of the courtyard.  This is also something i could do without if money is tight.  The 2nd/3rd story would have a hall way on the inner wall and rooms against the outer wall.  I’d like to have as many windows as possible along that hallway.  I want to be able to have easy access to the courtyard from outside the walls of the house, so i’m thinking the garage will have doors that open up to it.

some random items off the top of my head right now, that will be the primary content of future topic posts, are as follows:

LED faucets. – http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/faucets/led-faucet-light-135803.php

fish themed bathroom with fishtank toilet and shower wall – http://www.funfishtank.com/2006/07/fish-tank-toilet/

at least 2 secret passages.

a grass roof.

as i see stuff, get inspired with ideas, or remember things, i’ll post them here.  Hopefully i’ll live to the day i get to build this house.

April fool’s came and went yesterday.  I didn’t do a single joke or prank.  eh, next year.  Rachel and I went to DC to hang out with Serah and Mike.  Had a great time.  We saw Mount Vernon saturday, then spent some time at the Mall for the cherry blossom festival, then just chilled out at their place.  I uploaded a bunch of photos to the gallery, including some of a hidden tunnel/room thing that Rachel and i broke into at mount vernon.

Looks like I will be working from London for may 24th and 25th.  should be a good time.  I’ll probably go over a day or two earlier and sight see.  Still a lot of planning going into the whole Italy trip, but time is flying!  6 weeks!

So here’s a weird story.  Got a laptop last week from work and i took it home wednesday to work from home that night.  Half way home, I stopped at walmart and ended up taking a nap for a bit before going in and head home.  When I start back home, a few minutes away I smell something burning like plastic or rubber.  I forget about it until i get home and i see smoke coming out of my hood.  I pop the hood and the belt is smoking, and it’s dripping.  The belt is so hot it is melting.  Since i can’t do anything with it hot, i leave it cool down.  Later on, I come out and notice that the engine coolant is pretty much gone.  I fill that, and start up the truck again.  It is squealing really badly.  I am thinking it just has to wear away the dried melted parts and the squealing will go away.  Its gets quieter and quieter and finally does stop.  Satisfied, i turn the truck off and get out to shut the hood, but i notice that the belt is broken and that would be why it is no longer making noises.  So now my truck is disabled.  Luckily, I had an appointment already in place for friday to get emissions and state inspection.  Luckily, I don’t need to go to work because i can work from home.   Luckily i stopped halfway home or else i could have been stuck on the side of the road.  So i just got it towed back home on thursday, got a lift home on friday with my stepdad who works in the city, and i’m borrowing my mom’s minivan until the truck is done.  It’s going to cost $700.  They have to replace the entire air conditioning unit/system thing or else the belt will just melt again.  I had just used the air conditioning for the first time on monday, and it didn’t work, so i knew something was wrong.  sucks though, i could REALLY use that money with italy coming up.

Alex is pretty cool.  He’s got an architecture internship downtown.  haven’t had the chance to do anything with him yet, but we’ve got a while.  Still trying to find someone to rent the basement room out too.  Craigslist for the win!

Getting really proud of the city.  here’s a cool article on on the new building projects for the city. www.post-gazette.com/pg/07091/773880-85.stm So much to be excited about!

on trying to motivate a friend to run, and she says she’ll be motivated one day…

"Why just one day?  Why not two day?"

I can’t remember the last time i had a shamrock shake.  or anything from mcdonald’s for that fact.  call it nostalgia, call it curiousity, call it whatever, the fact remains, i want an effing shamrock shake, and i’m not getting satisfaction.  Every year when mcdonald’s offers the shake, i hear someone talk about it, and it gets me slowly thinking about going and getting one, but i never do, and i forget about it.  One of my friends started a group on facebook related to loving this time of year because of the shamrock shake, and this time it really struck a note in me to go friggin try one.  I was out with friends last wednesday and i had mentioned the idea of stopping by the drive thru for some, and they were half interested at least, but it didnt pan out.  So sunday, the day after St. Patrick’s day, I drive by a mcdonalds, get inspired, pull up to the drive thru, say, "can i have a medium shamrock please?" and i feel such a sense of exuberance, finally, i’m going to do it.  Then the voice behind the speaker retorts, "sorry, we’re all out of shamrock shake."  I was thrown for a second on his grammatical structuring of "shake" compared to "shakes", but I  was not deterred from my mission to acquire a shamrock shake.  Being the cartographer that I am, I know that there’s another mickey D’s about 2 miles down the road.  I engage in my second pursuit for this green delicacy.  I’m beginning to think i’m on to their marketing scheme, create a low supply, causing "buzz" publicity.  It’s no a new strategy; we’ve seen it before.  So I pull up to the second distributor of this irish themed delight, and inquire on the availabilty of said pleasure.  Again, i reach an impasse.  They are all out of shamrock shakes.  This time, i’m a little stunned.  I panic for a plan C.  I was not prepared for this disappointment.  There is yet another McDonald’s about 5 miles away…it’s out of my way…but maybe….maybe they have a bountiful supply of the verde substance that i crave.  I check the clock.  Time is of the essence, and if i make the trek, i’ll be late meeting my girlfriend.  And i think it goes without saying, she is worth more than a thousand shamrock shakes.  I shake my fist at the establishment and let out a "Next time! McDonald’s, NEXT TIME!" that even Doctor Claw would envy.  When I meet my girlfriend, i test the waters with hints of going on a shamrock shake expedition, but the interest seems nil.  I drop the issue…for now.

tonight, a surprise attack!  in a knee jerk reaction, almost late for work, i spot a mcdonald’s.  Sharp right into the drive thru lane (the RIGHT drive thru lane i might add, I paused a second to marvel at the existence of 2 lanes.  What innovation!)  I’ve got butterflies, but I don’t let the vixen on the other side of the communicator sense my anticipation.  I gather composure and coyly catechize on their shamrock shake inventory…DRAT!  She must have seen me coming!  surely they’ve had enough time to replenish the stock by now?!  I scoff and drive away in wrecklessness.  Shamrock shakeless wrecklessness…