a brief description of my life

Since I haven't written letters to anyone yet (despite promising numerous times before my departure), and since both SDB and MDB have more-or-less current blogs, I've decided to try and keep this one updated as well.

I'm writing from my desk at WurldMedia (there's no internet at my house, I'm going to try and survive without it for 10 months), which is where I work, of course. I'm an entry-level server-side Java programmer, and we're developing the first legal peer-to-peer, PeerImpact. Work is so much fun that sometimes I come here during weekends to program a little bit more. It's hard to leave if you haven't finished or at least arrived at a good leaving point: I've already noticed that if it's time to go home and my code isn't working, I'll be in a foul mood all evening! It must be a programmer thing.

Saratoga Springs, NY, where WurldMedia is, seems to be a really hip and happening place. Well, when I arrived here it certainly seemed so. During 6 weeks every summer this place hosts thoroughbred racing, and I got here 3 days before the end of the season. Racing brings a lot of money to this place, obviously. Besides that, there's a very snob college in town (Skidmore) and the students drive Saabs and Audis, so they too have money (this makes my '98 Windstar feel very inadequate). Downtown (which is about 127 feet from where I am right now) is always busy. There seem to be very distinct groups of people here. The college students are either 1) jocks with teflon shirts, rolex, blond spiky gel hair, top button undone, gold around the neck, one silver earring, usually saab or mercedes or bmw, they come in hordes, crowding bar doorways, eyes glued to their female companions, who do not have enough money to buy winter clothes (or any clothes for that matter) and walk around with very tight shirts/skirts/etc., all look the same (like some one working the streets) but I won't describe them. Let's keep this blog PG-rated, kids! 2) less physically gifted (meaning uglier, the jocks are the best-looking crowd) pseudo-goth type, wearing black everything, but still driving a saab, 3) long dreadlocks, tube-like clothing device to keep the dreads in place, baggy shorts, patchouli smell, turquoise earrings, lots of facial hair, lots of hair in general, usually has a guitar handy, plays on the street but still drives a saab, 4) the rest are regular looking people, but still with a "my car is nicer than yours" attitude. Which in my case is a fair assumption.

However, not all is lost. One Caroline St. Bistro has live jazz almost every night (some of it VERY good), and I go there 2 or 3 times a week. There's a Borders and two used book stores. Plus, the girls (it always seems to be girls) working at the coffeeplaces are good-looking, so that helps.

I will continue this at a later date, since talking about food/music makes me hungry. It's about 7pm, and I'm ready for a night out! by myself. Accurate prediction of my itinerary tonight: 1) grocery store, for yoghourt and bread, 2) Borders, to try my luck and maybe meet a girl and get married, or at least buy a Hitchcock, 3) someplace else for espresso and quiet so I can finish The Greenlanders, 4) One Caroline St. for music and melancholy, 5 ) my house 13 minutes away from here, which by the way is quite a place, 3 bedrooms, completely furnished (including TV/DVD player), 2 bottles of wine, and a garden with herbs and a creek for fishing. The river does lull me to sleep.