I’ve been late, a lot. Chronically late for work. My mornings have dragged on and I realize that I can streamline the process to get out the door quicker. It’s not the shower, the wardrobe, the creative ways of cobbling together a ‘nutritious’ breakfast. A big part of my morning is preparing coffee.

I mourn for my super automatic coffee maker. With a touch of a button the grinding mechanism would activate, the water pump would whir followed immediately by the sound confidence and courage pouring into my cup.

Busier mornings, preparing coffee was less courtly. The outside foam of an insulated disposable cup would blister in the microwave as milk heated; foaming milk on that machine was a chore, and I would collect the coffee in a pre-warmed turkish coffee pot which contained sweetener. As the coffee streamed in, I would give the pot a swirl to properly mix the bitter and sweet then pour the contents into the disposable cup. Zero to bliss in ~50 seconds.

My super automatic coffee maker conked out last spring. We’ve had no plans to replace it, but since I’ve been running late for the past few weeks I think I can justify its high cost. In fact, I’ve paused in the middle of writing this to check prices. Despite the failing dollar, they’ve come done in price. I know the snuff will object, but he’s a sucker for a good crema.

I haven’t been a while since I’ve been this tickled by a web application. UNIQLO, the Japanese casual clothing designer has been on my watch list since December 2006 [link] when it was featured on CBS Sunday Morning. Caught by it’s distinctly cute Japanese portmanteau name for “Unique Clothing”, it has now sucked me in with its UNIQLOCK.

A fun flash clock showing the current time in Tokyo. The hook is not finding out what time it is in a foreign country no, vignettes of modern dance performed by lone or groups of Japanese women are punctuated by a bell with all set to the interpretations of over-hectic jazz by Tomoyuki Tanaka [link].

Not owning a stitch of the clothing, due to size and distance constraints, [link] I am still drawn to its pop feel and their way of making fashion vis-a-vis their simple pieces that adumbrate complexity. Much like IKEA, I think I’d have to clear out what I have now and start anew before venturing into the UNIQLO world.

**Updated: The clock has switched to a sleepy-time sound track and the dancers are dozing off. **

I had to get my fingerprints taken. It wasn’t my first time, but it was the first time where I had to fill in my own information on the fingerprint card. Name, address, social security number, sex… fine. Date of birth, mother’s maiden name, weight… getting a little personal, but fine.

Then - Eye color, hair color, race… is this a lonely hearts application?

Okay, I guess this would have been better if the fingerprint tech was a young strapping handsome man with a deep voice (possibly accent) and a slight smile when looking at me. Each attribute would be read followed by a dramatic pause to look at me, then discussed as an endearing quality. I would then coyly accept any flattering compliments. Later he would be haunted by my imminently kissable visage, and not be satisfied until he saw me again.

In reality, I sat in a hard plastic chair while a weathered old man barked… Brown, BRN; Black, BLK; Oriental, O. My eyes are tenebrous and boundless, my hair is a very dark brown, and in my opinion we have progressed in this country I and though I can’t be (P)acific Islander, I could at least be (A)sian. Even the US government has recognized that race is an “all that apply” option on some documents, but I guess when faced with a 1cm box, you’re limited in how you can express yourself.