Even More Stuff!
15 May 1996

Assorted Elboids at Cafe Liberty

• Diane Reamy and Jay Demarrais prove (like we needed confirmation) that there's a thin line between cute and stomach-wrenching.
• "Radioactive" Rich Macchi attempts to dodget the Dreaded Kung-Fu Finger of Doom.
• Nick "Phi" Schectman flashes back to Open Parlour Night, but soon realizes that it's all just a bad memory -- there's no bad chinese food here.
• From left, Christine Parker and Rich are amused, and Chip is disgustipated.
• Joanne and Andy carefully watch the carpet for signs of life.
• J.B. Sweeney attempts vainly not to be seen in public with Ofer Inbar.
• Rachel Kadel and Tara Powers give good profile.

More of my Cats.

• The gruesome twosome have a hard time "just saying no to catnip.

Topper's Graditation Party @ The Ranch

• Asked what she's going to do now that she's out of grad school, Rachel has just one word: Plastics.
• The unknown guitarist provided musical accompaniment. (News flash - his name is Walter Stickle, lead guitarist for Fracture. Yours for a better-informed elbows.)
• Barbie hangs out over the mob in the kitchen.
• Kelly Cooper plots dire vengence against the universe.
• Gilly Rosenthol and Scott Shorter sit on the steps and get all stairry-eyed about it.
• Wex flexes!
• Rachel joins the Hair Club for Women and gets a free backrub as a joining bonus. (She's not just a member...)
• Mark Amidon is obscured by a man who may or may not have been Judge Crater

Around and about, March-April

• From left, my flatmate Kriss, Andy Kaufman (not, not that one), and the lovely Joanne Handwerger are bedazzled by the light from the camera.
• Derek Lichter gets crazee wit da cheeze whiz.
• Andy tries to duck behind Kriss.
• Joellllllll ("not a typo") Herda tries to make his escape.
• Nico Garcia tries to keep his lovely fiance Rachel's head from exploding.
• Our Hero (er, that's me) administers the little-used, mystical and rare reverse heimlich manuver to an unwitting victim.
• The inevitable pile up on Derek's couch. (From left, Tara Swinarski, myself, Tara Powers, Joellllll and Kriss.)
• Sometimes life is so exciting you just gotta do the rhumba.
• J.B. Sweeney sacks out at Cafe Liberty, while Joelllll skulks in the foreground.
• Crash screams, "At last, my arm is complete again!" Andy is unimpressed.
• Miranda shows off.

San Francisco, Feb '96

• "How Much is that Lesbian in the Window?" -- I managed to track down my old schoolmate and friend (and both terms seem woefully inadequate) Rane Halloran (that's prounounced rainy) in Oakland.
• We went hiking around the Marin Headlands, which are just indescribably beautiful.
• A friend of Rane's joined us.
• It wasn't until I got there that I understood the real reason why people emigrate en masse to the Bay Area. It's not the culture, the cuisine or the people -- you can get those in New York, after all. It's the mountains.
• Rane "her middle name is 'trouble'" Halloran stands on a rock and says "come on! There's nothing to be afraid of!"
• That same rock, approximately ten minutes later. Let it be noted that, big though it is, the Pacific Ocean can move damn fast when it wants to.
• I swear to god this really happened: Rane and I were walking around downtown San Francisco, talking about how computers and networks had gone from specialist/hobbyist toys to all-pervasive things, and talking about what it had used to be like, and the idea of planned obselescence, when I happened to notice this trash can...
• ...which, I am not making this up, contained a very abused-looking Commodore VIC-20. I'm certain this was a sign of something, but I'll be damned if I know what...
• Downtown, we had some of the best chocolate I've ever had in my life.
• ...and we ate it in a cute little diner across the street from the Castro Theater.

London, March '96

• The Museum itself.
• The museum is guarded by a large population of stray cats. Here, one keeps close watch over what appears to be a Citroen. The minds of cats are truly inscrutable things.
• A very cool scupture on the museum's front lawn.
• Chariots of the gods. Egyptian relics.
• There's more of the Parthenon to be found in the British Museum than in Greece. Kinda ironic.
• Obligatory picture of the Rosetta Stone.

Also in London, I found the best sign in the whole universe. This sums up the British more than just about anything else I can think of.

While in London, Miranda and I met up with the infamous Shimrit Elisar and celebrated the occasion of her turning 21...

• Shimrit expressess how happy she is to be 21.
• Peter plays with Shimrit's hair, while Shimrit plays with her balls. The man in front of both of them is not Chris Cornell of Soundgarden.
• Many flashy people were in attendence.
• One cool chap sadly left early.
• There's one of these at every party, it seems. Don't ask me why, it's just like that.
• Jim loses it. "It" may be his contact lenses. Or maybe not.
• Shimrit attempts to pelt your humble chronicler with unspeakably nasty british candies. (She missed. Nyaaaah!)
• Miranda gets into the spirit of things. (Beware: all of the photos of Miranda in this section are pretty awful. See below for some better ones.)
• A young woman who's name I have unconscionably forgotten graciously lets me take her photo. (Addendum: Her name is Lucy.)
• Despite his sneaky grin, this young man has absolutely no idea what he's getting himself into.
• Shimrit attempts to look innocent about the whole matter, and fails miserably.
• Shimrit take a really crap polaroid of me...
• ...but quickly realizes the magnitude of her error.
• Shimrit's roomate gives us some fashion tips.
• Nathan (that's me) gets dancing lessons from a highly dodgy character.
• Miranda, Steve and I get down with our bad selves.
• Group hug time...
• An unfortunately somewhat fuzzy photo (but appropriate, since I was feeling more than a little fuzzy myself at the time) of me demonstrating why my web page is called Grinning Maniacs, Unlimited.
• Jim relaxes, safe in the knowledge that even if he is wasted, it's not like the whole world is going to see pictures of it, right?

  Oops.

• Miranda trances out.
• Shimrit wonders aloud how the hell she's going to get all of these people out of her flat.
• Another victim of the dreaded Munchie Death Spiral. Kids, don't let this happen to you. Just say "no" after the tenth piece...
• The music works its evil spell on two unwitting victims.
• Jim claims that he's regained his bearings...
• ...but Shimrit is dubious.
• Shimrit relaxes in the arms of... Boris Karloff!!! Aieeeeeeeeee!!!
• The bitter end is reached.

• Jarvis (playing "boyfriend in tow" at the time) checks out the festivities.
• Jarvis and Nathan look amused and smarmy, in that order.
• We dance our socks off.
• Three Planeteers and a fiance. (From left, Michael Bauer, Eri Izawa, Jeremy Behrle and the future dread Mrs. Behrle.)

Misc...

• Miranda "presently starring in the role of 'girlfriend'" Hambro proves that she is not a vampire.
• More of Miranda.
• Amy Chused gets dressed up.
• Benji gets dangerously happy. (Also featuring my lovely flatmate, Kriss Barnhart on Benji's left, and Tara Powers on his right.)
• A completely gratuitous picture of my cats.
• And speaking of felines, my friend Catya herein hangs around on her boyfriend, the tolerant (and strong-backed) Dave Shevett.
• Gwen (the woman of 1,001 costume changes) strikes a pose.
• The Tragically Hip Waif of the Apocalypse, Kelly Cooper, tries to express how she feels about...
• ...my shocking revelation that Joel Furr is dating Carole Stoops. (Bonus! Includes shot of Mathilda the Wonder Gargoyle!)
• Jeremy begins to whine in public.

More to come...