Full moon

The celebratory hosts sweep to and fro beneath my windows. I wonder if they're having as much fun as they were told to expect?


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: Does Anyone Else Have Something Further to Add?, R.A. Lafferty

Eternal vigilance, or, someone should hire some proofreaders

The USITC posted fourteen changes today, and five of those changes have conspicuous errors. There may be more mistakes that I just haven't found yet.

*sigh*


Today's earrings: eyes, liberty dimes

Bedtime reading: Does Anyone Else Have Something Further to Add?, R.A. Lafferty

Who's on first?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA85pv8M


Today's earrings: leaves, other leaves

Bedtime reading: Does Anyone Else Have Something Further to Add?, R.A. Lafferty

Aphorism

No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.
-- Stanislaw Jerzy Lec


Today's earrings: snowflakes, suns

Bedtime reading: Does Anyone Else Have Something Further to Add?, R.A. Lafferty

Boxing Day

In the morning I boxed up the superfluous china and banished it to the basement.

In the afternoon, I opened three more boxes of books (pocket fiction, Andrews-Davies; religion, fortune-telling, and card games; playing cards and fragile miscellany).

In the evening, I had b2 and L over for wine and snacks. We got dinner in Chinatown and then went to the Buena Vista for Irish Coffees. We took the cable car home.


Today's earrings: gingerbread men, brooms

Bedtime reading: Brewing Up a Storm, Emma Lathen

A feast day of my people

We had brunch. :)

There were many small and lovely things in my stocking. M won at Scrabble (but if we'd applied the proposed 'yule rule' things might have been different). K&S called from Copenhagen - sounds like they were enjoying the Danish. CC and I watched "Sing Faster" in the living room while AL and M watched Schoolhouse Rock in the family room. Later we all joined in watching "Galaxy Quest" and eating cheese.


Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: Brewing Up a Storm, Emma Lathen

Christmas eve

I have stocking stuffers & cheese prepped and ready to go.

I know where my stocking is.


Today's earrings: polar bears, black bears

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling

Bookcases

I want one that's 32" wide and eight feet tall, and one that's 8 feet long and about 40" high. I'm thinking about Ikea for the tall one. Or should I wait until I find a giant bookcase that's not disposable? Decisions, decisions.


Today's earrings: sparkly turtles, plain turtles

Bedtime reading: Proof, Dick Francis

Happy Solstice

Today's earrings: coffee cups, suns

Bedtime reading: Proof, Dick Francis

Survivor wrap up

Natalie beat Russell and Mick in the final vote. This is huge, people. The last time a woman beat a man in the finals was All-Stars. Eleven seasons ago.

Sadly, the production team decided not enlighten us as to how Natalie accomplished this feat. They felt their time was better spent further fluffing Russell's ego. The production team makes me sad.


Today's earrings: llamas, chickens

Bedtime reading: Proof, Dick Francis

Today in book boxes

Paperbacks, King-Maron; hardcovers, Henderson-Nordoff&Hall; mixed box of Gorey and vintage paperbacks, including some armed services editions.


Today's earrings: mice, moonstones

Bedtime reading: Slay Ride, Dick Francis

Today's bright idea

I'm thinking about putting a long flourescent tube on top of the bookcase/room divider. Not sure if it'd be bright enough, or maybe too bright? Fret. It would be fairly fast, cheap, and easy, though.


Today's earrings: roses, flowers

Bedtime reading: Slay Ride, Dick Francis

Today I lay in bed way late

And it was great, but then I finally got up and rushrushrush firsttwopairofmatchingearrings outthedoor.

Time to sort out the earring array.
And box the china.


Today's earrings: moose, zodiacs

Bedtime reading: "Fortune's Smile," James McManus

Another three boxes

Two boxes of miscellany, including but not limited to art, humor, etiquette, poetry, children's books, food & cooking, history, and cartomancy.

One box of Gorey. I still haven't gotten the china out of the Gorey cabinet, so I didn't unpack the box. That's the third box o' Gorey that's still lingering unpacked. I should do something about the china. Like, this weekend.


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: "Fortune's Smile," James McManus

Nesting

This weekend, I got almost all my paper tucked into discreet little black boxes that fit neatly into the fronts of the window seats. And it is good.

But I keep thinking up more stuff to want. It's not good.


Today's earrings: eyes, liberty dimes

Bedtime reading: Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett

Silver lining

The system was so slow today I had time to watch this while waiting for something to save. And then this. And so on.


Today's earrings: frogs, trees

Bedtime reading: Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett

Dental work

Today I got a temporary crown. I'm a bit throbby.


No earrings today

Bedtime reading: Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett

Gang aft agley

I was planning to take the underground home. It is very cold out, and it's warmer to wait underground. But "Muni subway service has been disrupted due to overhead wires being down at Van Ness Station in the inbound direction." So I took a jam-packed maroon and cream trolley home, instead. I was lucky to get aboard.

That model has very narrow aisles.


Today's earrings: spiders, webs

Bedtime reading: Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett

3-2-1

Three boxes of books up from the basement: two of paperback fiction, Francis-Innes and Innes-King; one of sociology & linguistics, including a dictionary, a thesaurus, and JC Cooper's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols. The place feels much homier.

Two new books acquired on the way home: Terry Pratchett's just-out Unseen Academicals, and Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower. I had a lovely chat with the bookstore clerk, in which I advised her to read Butler's Bloodchild,* but not if she had any other heavy emotional stuff going on that month.

One Christmas card from S&T in beautiful Hawaii. My first at the new address! Love you guys. :)


Today's earrings: pine trees, brass triangles

Bedtime reading: Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett


*I realized much later that I'd meant Kindred. Bloodchild is mindblowing in its way, but nowhere near as heavy as Kindred.

Commuting

This morning I rode an orange trolley to work.

After work, I took a cable car to the market. It was decorated with blue lights on the outside and snowbirds, snowflakes, and white tinsel streamers on the inside.

I caught a just-plain-bus home from the market.


Today's earrings: monkeys, chickens

Bedtime reading: Rituals of the Season, Margaret Maron

Weekend agenda

Hang clothesline
Pack away some of the china
Move books upstairs to make room in the basement for the china
Deal with accumulated correspondence
Bask.



Today's earrings: diamonds, dinosaurs

Bedtime reading: Rituals of the Season, Margaret Maron

Dropped off the keys to the old place

It was a pretty good place.

Soon someone else will live there. I hope they enjoy it.


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: Rituals of the Season, Margaret Maron

Outlet mall across the street

Or that's the plan, anyway.

Community meeting highlights included my realtor asking pointed questions about parking, and a couple of dudes who asked self-important pseudo-questions about the architecture. Dude. It's an outlet mall replacing a bunch of derelict buildings. Better it should be a wall of glass than a faked-up pretense of Edwardiana.

After the meeting I fell into conversation with the designer of the Stevenson Street face-lift. I'm sorry to say I let my dubiousness about the micro-vendor spaces show, and then failed to add that I'm all for the project and didn't have any better suggestions. After I came home and looked at a map, I did come up with something: get the city to put a crosswalk with a full-scale stoplight in between the end of Stevenson and the entrance to the San Francisco Center. That would make Stevenson a shortcut from the new shops to the mall *and* to the parking garage on Mission.


Today's earrings: elephants, ebony drops

Bedtime reading: Rituals of the Season, Margaret Maron

First three boxes of books up from the basement

One box of Gorey and two of hardcover fiction (Maron-Muller; Rowling-Tolkin & misc children's).


Today's earrings: flowers, other flowers

Bedtime reading: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, L. Frank Baum

You know what?

I live here.

Today's earrings: pigs, citrine drops

Bedtime reading: What's a Girl Gotta Do?, Sparkle Hayter

Farewell, furniture

This morning, someone came to the old place and took the file cabinet and the bench away. Later, M, K and I moved the rest of the heavy stuff to the curb and festooned it with "Free" post-its. K&D went off to find bento boxes, and M&I shifted the dregs of my stuff around inside.

M felt like a taco, so we headed out to the nearest source... and found that all the furniture was gone from the curb. ALL of it, even the shoe rack. We'd only left it for about 20 minutes. We were all, "Damn."

K&D returned with the cutest little lunchboxes we ever saw. They partook of our tacos and shared their anpan.

We made another pass at Japantown for more anpan, dumped some stuff back here, and then went off to the playground. D ran around in many circles. I fell off the slide. Fortunately, the ground there is thoroughly rubberized.

Dinner here. M went off home, D is asleep, and K&I are looking at our respective computers.


I can't get over how fast that furniture disappeared.


No earrings today

Bedtime reading: What's a Girl Gotta Do?, Sparkle Hayter

Further feasting

This time at M's. There was much baking of cookies, most of which I missed because I was on the nod d/t forgetting my morning coffee. There was also scrabbling. K stomped us all twice. We dined on leftovers and pesto. mmm, pesto.

It was good.


Today's earrings: compasses

Bedtime reading: What's a Girl Gotta Do?, Sparkle Hayter

My first Thanksgiving

It was wonderful. I melted something plastic in the oven and L cleaned it out. S & Aunt M won the scrabble game. There was lots of food. Critical Mass rolled past the window during dinner. K is falling asleep in my lap and S is reading Tiger a story.


Today's earrings: pineapples, Kitchenaids

bedtime reading: The Ruins of Earth, Thomas M. Disch, ed.

Secrets of getting lots of responses to a classified ad

Include a picture and lowball the asking price. It's really just that simple.

Rather more difficult is getting stuff sold when your spam trap decides to hold all those responses hostage. *sigh*

On the bright side, today I got to look at ferries with Tiger. :)


Today's earrings: fire extinguishers, fire trucks

Bedtime reading: The Ruins of Earth, Thomas M. Disch, ed.

I got the abandoned furniture posted on cl, at least

and I got some keys cut, and I bought stuffing. And I did unpack some dishes.

I also stared at the view. It's an amazing view.

Moving as spiritual experience

The movers showed up, and I was moved.
The delivery dudes from Sears showed up, and a washer/dryer was delivered.
CC & M showed up, and much baggage was unpacked.
AL joined us for dinner, then we went to BB&B and came back here.
AL got the wireless working, and I was connected to the world around me.
CC & M hung a shower curtain, so that tomorrow I may be cleansed.


Tomorrow I must memorialize the past, and post the pictures to craigslist. On the way home I'll procure beast to roast for the feast.
I also have to call the management company about the dishwasher; no water flows to it.

Moving: The Challenge

Stage 2 is tomorrow. The movers are to arrive at 8am to whisk me away... and Sears is set to arrive at the new place between 9:15 and 11am. I'm very much hoping Sears won't be early.

It's time to break down the computer.

Today's excitements

We met this afternoon to discuss the results of last month's anonymous survey assessing management. In that two hours, I'd offered to teach India to anyone in want of a learning experience, I was charged with creating a presentation on how to do the US for the 18th, and the survey results were no longer anonymous. (The Grinch from the end of the hall was the one who put down all the negative responses. Surprise!) Afterward, J presented me with a cookie for my restraint.
[Persons wishing to hear the dramatic monologue version of the meeting should apply to me in person.]

After the meeting, I sent round a list of the surplus furniture, and to my vast surprise, I got two takers right away. They came by this evening and removed the metal bookcase and the baker's rack. Hooray! One of them even called again later and said he'd be back Sunday for the foot locker. Hooray!


Today's earrings: skeletal fish

Bedtime reading: The Ruins of Earth, Thomas M. Disch, ed.

The end is near

I actually believe I can have everything packed up by Monday morning... though I may come begging someone to do a charity schlep with me next week.

I keep forgetting to photograph the rejected furniture and post it on craigslist.
I spent the evening wrapping dishes in '89 newspaper, including classified ads.
Seems like those two tidbits juxtaposed should be significant, somehow.


Today's earrings: bunnies, other bunnies

Bedtime reading: The Ruins of Earth, Thomas M. Disch, ed.

M does valiant battle with Sears

M stopped by Sears this evening to collect the stacking kit, as per instructions from the phone CSR I talked to Monday. The sales clerk informed her that a) they didn't have stacking kits at the store, b) since I'd "refused delivery" the order had been cancelled, and c) they'd sold my washer/dryer to someone else and no longer had that model in stock at all. M reports a certain circularity to the conversation, and the sense that the sales clerk had no particular interest in resolving the matter.

So M found a manager, who she induced to grasp the situation. The manager then ageed to replace my now-departed washer/dryer with the next-better washer/dryer (for no extra cost) and have the upgraded replacements delivered on Monday.

M is my hero.


Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: The Ruins of Earth, Thomas M. Disch, ed.

Busy, busy

My boss's boss's boss was in the office today, making her first round of inspection since she assumed leadership. She was kind enough not to waste everyone's time with the 'speech to the troops' bullshit that her predecessor was so in love with. But still - I had come in this morning to an email asking for the project I started last week. I promised I'd get it done before I left today. Which would have been no problem, except everyone and their brother decided to post a two-page amendment last week. I was at the office pretty late.

In other news, I put in my change of address at the post office, faxed M the receipt for the washer/dryer, packed the lower kitchen cabinets, and denuded the chicken.

I still need to shift my long-distance service, deposit a check from the title company, and pack the rest of the kitchen, the bedroom, and the miscellania that's accumulating in the living room.

How do you pack seashells?


Today's earrings: bees, mailboxes

Bedtime reading: The Ruins of Earth, Thomas M. Disch, ed.

See photoessay on other blog

Sears did show up in the afternoon delivery window. Sadly, though, whoever loaded the truck had neglected to include the stacking kit. Which meant I got my new refrigerator (hooray!) but not the washer-dryer. *sigh*

They're re-delivering next Monday.

Everything else pretty much went like clockwork.


No earrings today

Bedtime reading: The Ruins of Earth, Thomas M. Disch, ed.

7:30 am call from Sears

The delivery driver wants to know if it's cool if, instead of delivering last thing this afternoon, can he make me his first delivery today?

No. I am not there to take delivery.

See, there's only one other delivery in the city today, and that person wants to re-schedule...

No. It is physically not possible. I am not there, and won't be until after the movers come.

Well, I guess I could deliver your appliances tomorrow.

No. I have to work tomorrow.

I guess I'll talk to my boss.

Light-filled rooms

Gave T&S and AL&CC the tour. They seemed approving. The Angry Lemming agreed to set up my wireless thingamabob - score! Then T&S gave us lunch, which was most sweet of them. CC had brought me some boxes, so they dropped me home.

Thanks, everybody!

Then I did the chore I've been putting off: paper sorting. I tossed pay stubs dating back to the early '90s and a whole lot of Christmas cards. Three bagsful of paper went down the chute. Found amid the mass: an address for cousin Cynthia and a letter from her mother acknowleging that chair is rightfully mine. Now I just need to write C and ask for it.


Today's earrings: suns, cameras

Bedtime reading: The Ruins of Earth, Thomas M. Disch, ed.

Lunch w/ T&S tomorrow

we meet at 11:30 at my Happy Place.

Today was clean-up day at the office. I pruned a whole bunch of superannuated reference material, and then found that the recycling bins were overflowing. I ended up hiding it all in a closet.


Today's earrings: leaves, brooms

Bedtime reading: The Ruins of Earth, Thomas M. Disch, ed.

What next?

The kitchen, or the bedroom closet?

I should work on the kitchen.


Today's earrings: stools, syringes

Bedtime reading: The Ruins of Earth, Thomas M. Disch, ed.

Lunch with Cricket

We had a lovely lunch, after which I dragged her off to look at the apartment. I love showing off the apartment. Sometime soon, though, I should get up on a ladder and figure out what all the doors and vents are.

BTW, the shower is 58" wide.


Today's earrings: compasses

Bedtime reading: The Ruins of Earth, Thomas M. Disch, ed.

Getting ahead of myself

I want to listen to Christmas songs now. But if I do that, I'll be all Christmassed out by early December. *sigh*


Today's earrings: owls, crows

Bedtiem reading: A Hat Full of Sky, Terry Pratchett

More packing

I'm almost done with the books. After those are boxed, it's just the kichen, the bedroom closet, and a living room full of tchotchkes.

Oh, hey - does anyone want my old sleeping bag?


Today's earrings: turtles, other turtles

Bedtime reading: A Hat Full of Sky, Terry Pratchett

Digging out the other window seat

I've been using it as a combined bedside table and computer desk, so it was piled high with crap. I knew about that. What I didn't remember was the cache of stuffed animals I left in there. Or just how much of my schoolwork I'd kept. Or the aged periodicals.

Most of the schoolwork I put down the chute. The stuffed animals are going to Raphael House tomorrow. I'm about to sort the periodicals, and must be firm in my resolve and make them go away. I'm moving into a postage stamp, I must chant. I'm moving into a postage stamp.

damn, I have a lot of crap.

eta: that stack of aged periodicals turned out to be the newspapers for the week of the '89 quake, starting the Sunday before. Which is very interesting stuff, but I don't think I want to keep them all any more...


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: A Hat Full of Sky, Terry Pratchett

Logistics

The appliances arrive the 16th (not sure what time of day).
A handyperson is coming the afternoon of the 16th to attach the bookcases to the walls.

Tomorrow I call around for movers. I want to do a two-stage move: on the morning of the 16th, shift the big bookcases to the apartment and the books to the basement. Then later - like, that Friday or the next Monday - move everything else.

To-do this weekend: charity run; shift window seats & small bookcases to & from The Place Of Painting; paint; pack more stuff.

I'm forgetting something.


Today's earrings: pineapples, apples

Bedtime reading: A Hat Full of Sky, Terry Pratchett

Appliances 2-nite!

M and went to Sears and bought a washer, a dryer, and a refrigerator. They are to be delivered the 16th.

It's amazing how happy-making a few common household appliances can be.


Today's earrings: irons, kitchenaids

Bedtime reading: A Hat Full of Sky, Terry Pratchett

We have grail acquisition

Today I got the keys, and this evening we held the Grand Opening, with mimosas.

I get to go live there.


Today's earrings: bees, typewriter keys

Bedtime reading: A Hatful of Sky, Terry Pratchett

The color the sky would be in a static universe

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091101.html

I kind of want to paint the apartment this color.

Today's earrings: sapphires, aquamarines

Bedtime reading: A Hat Full of Sky, Terry Pratchett

Happy Halloween!

I was the Devil With the Blue Dress On again. And when I took off the horns, I was the Devil in Disguise.

Love that costume.


Today's earrings: diamonds, brooms

Bedtime reading: Clouds of Witness, Dorothy L. Sayers

I signed a lot of paper

...but forgot to call the phone company.


Today's earrings: cups, chickens

Bedtime reading: Clouds of Witness, Dorothy L. Sayers

Proposed schedule for the week

Tonight I call the phone company.
Tomorrow morning at 9 I go to the title people and sign papers.
Friday I give them lots of money.
Saturday & Sunday I work on re-arranging my worldly goods into four piles: Toss, Give, Move (store), Move (live with).
Monday I fret.
Tuesday they give me keys.


Today's earrings: deer, shells

Bedtime reading: Clouds of Witness, Dorothy L. Sayers

cloud trees

Flame trees look like this:

and cloud trees look like this:

It's a standard topiary design.

Today's earrings: leaves, trees

Bedtime reading: Clouds of Witness, Dorothy L. Sayers

Post #700

Talked to the loan officer today, and this time I asked what the words mean. She was very reassuring. All is well, all is good. Except, I talked to my broker today, and it takes three days to settle up after a sale. Oops. I should have put in the sell orders last week. Except, one of my stocks bounced $30/share over the weekend. My vast ignorance of all things financial has gained me an unexpected profit, but also delayed closing by almost a week.


Today's earrings: flowers, other flowers

Bedtime reading: Clouds of Witness, Dorothy L. Sayers

Links du jour

Where the hell is Matt?

Overton window


Today's earrings: turtles, peppers

Bedtiem reading: Clouds of Witness, Dorothy L. Sayers

1 bookcase emptied

Well, just a small one.


Today's earrings: rockets, anchors

Bedtime reading: Clouds of Witness, Dorothy L. Sayers

1 window seat emptied

I had etiquette, games, and humor shelved in the front. I don't think they're all going to make it to the new place. If anone wants a copy of Coyote v. Acme, let me know.

Inside were the old books with our relatives' names written inside, the fragile ones wrapped in newspaper. I'm keeping those. I'm just not sure where.


Today's earrings: fire extinguishers, fire trucks

Bedtime reading: Hip Deep in Alligators, Robert Campbell

Giveaway, Part 2

VHS tapes! Yes, most of them are home recordings of Survivor. But! There's also a copy of Dogma and part of a box set of The Avengers.

Does anyone still pay for vinyl?


Today's earrings: lizards, rocks

Bedtime reading: Hip Deep in Alligators, Robert Campbell

Giveaway, Part 1

Would anyone like a bagful of women's shoes, size 10/10w?
How about little beaded evening bags?
Or plastic hangers? They're very sturdy.


Today's earrings: bees, typewriter keys

Bedtime reading: Making Money, Terry Pratchett

Happy Twentieth Quakiversary

I was standing in my doorway, gossiping with my landlady. I had been on my way to get cash and then buy food when I ran into her. The building shook, stilled, and then revved up to the serious shaking. My landlady yelled, "Bill!" and bolted for her apartment. I braced myself in the door jam, and it shook, and shook, and shook...

15 seconds takes a while when the ground is moving.

It finally stopped. A painting of M's that I had perched on a molding had fallen off, and the power was out, but that was the extent of the damage in my place. I called Dad; he had a similar damage report. I thought about driving down there, but the garage where I stored my car had closed up and the attendants had gone. The larder was still bare and I still had no cash, so I went to the bank, where it finally sank in that the power was out, and therefore, ATMs wouldn't work. It took a while to find a store that was a) open, and b) willing to take a check. (The store that took my check got my business for the next year or so.)

The power came back on two days later.

Where were you at 5:05 PM Pacific Time on October 17, 1989?


Today's earrings: mice, other mice

Bedtime reading: Making Money, Terry Pratchett

My toe is still purple

...but in a more-subdued range of shades.

Today's excitement was a note from the city forwarded by the realtor, saying that there was a typo on document A, document B needed my signature and had the same typo, and document C was missing. I said, I thought I sent you document C. And they're all, I'm sure you did, but it's not in the file. Can't argue with 'not in the file.' So they fixed the typos, I faxed them my signature, and I'm faxing them document C in the morning.

The city has my paperwork. I think this is the last lap.


Today's earrings: compasses

Bedtime reading: Going Postal, Terry Pratchett

I'm late I'm late I'm late

When I woke up this morning, the rain was coming down hard. So hard that I didn't hear my clock-radio. Seriously loud rain. My stubbed toe was an arrangement in brown and grey. I left a voicemail for my boss and limped off to work an hour late.

Turns out pretty much everybody was late. My boss got in 20 minutes after I did, listened to her voicemail, and then came out and announced to the department in general that if we'd just kept our calls to ourselves, she'd never have known any of us were late...

I left early to get my crown re-cemented. When I got home I discovered my toe had turned purple. I thought bruises were supposed to get less dramatic as you go along, not more. hmph.


Today's earrings: teacups, rabbits

Bedtime reading: Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

Stuff that happened today:

B2 had a birthday.

The US celebrated Colonialist Oppressor Day, and Canada held Thanksgiving.

The guy at the next desk brought in Turkish Delight and announced his impending parenthood.

One of my crowns popped off while I was eating goldfish crackers. I got it reset for now and made a dental appointment for tomorrow.

I arranged for insurance, and heard that the bank expects to close on the 23rd.

K asked how I felt about holding Thanksgiving on Friday. (I feel pretty good about it.)

I tripped over my phone cord, skinning my knee and stubbing my toe really hard. Ouch.

Comcast failed to expedite the work order to shut off my cable, so I watched reruns of The Closer. (This past weekend, they finally annoyed me enough & I told them to cancel my service.)

I'm going to take two aspirin and go to bed.


Today's earrings: alligators, zodiacs

Bedtime reading: Going Postal, Terry Pratchett

Sushi at Ebisu

In honor of b2's birthday, we ate good sushi. It was most delicious.


Today's earrings: drums, other drums

Bedtime reading: Going Postal, Terry Pratchett

Did the walk-through

The place is a lot smaller than I remembered. I am going to have to do some major pruning. Long term, I'd want to get a carpenter to build shelves above the windows up to the ceiling, and install a library ladder. In any case, there's no place to put my beloved tall bookcase. Anyone want a bookcase that's four feet wide, eight feet high, and shelved for pocket books? Maybe I can stash it in the basement. And what do I do with the books in the mean time? This is going to be a challenge.

But, omg people, did you check out that view?


Today's earrings: cups, chickens

Bedtime reading: Going Postal, Terry Pratchett

pix.

see Facebook.

The bubbles have stopped.

For now, anyway. Still time to move.


Today's earrings: bees, mailboxes

Bedtime reading: Going Postal, Terry Pratchett

Zeitgeist

Last night my toilet started blowing bubbles. This morning while I was in the shower it really went to town. Google suggests the cause is likely a partially obstructed sewer line. I put a call in to my landlord. What time is it? Time to move!

In other news, tonight's episode of Sons of Anarchy passed the Bechdel Test in the first half hour. Hey, neat! I thought. Then I remembered that, while I like some of the actors, I don't like most of the characters, and changed the channel.


Today's earrings: owls, trees

Bedtime reading: The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper, John D. MacDonald

Earrings by mail

It's extremely convenient.


Today's earrings: pineapples, shells

Bedtime reading: The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper, John D. MacDonald

Let's Go To The Mall

Yet another group of good-hearted people humored me while I stared at the windows of an apartment I don't live in. Then we had dim sum, and they lent me a camera. (Thank you, good-hearted people!) At the mall, they bought clothes, I bought a magazine.


Today's earrings: turtles, cameras

Bedtime reading: The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper, John D. MacDonald

'tis Friday

And that's about all that happened today.


Today's earrings: pigs, citrine drops

Bedtime reading: The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper, John D. MacDonald

Drinks with Elks

Drinks at the Elks Club with the guys. After, we went down to Market and I pointed out The Apartment. They were talking housewarming presents; I just stared soulfully into its windows...


Today's earrings: flies, fish

Bedtime reading: The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper, John D. MacDonald

Hey, Look Me Over

Talked to The Realtor (fille) and two loan officers today. The news, more-or-less in order of arrival:
- The Realtor (père) is turning 70, and the party is this weekend.
- The taxes on the place are arcane, and I must contact the city assessor for details.
- I have an appointment to walk through the place with The Realtor (fille) next Thursday, lunchtime, and check out the new window and the exhaust fan in the bathroom.
- I should have been clearer sooner with the current loan officer about having talked to one of her colleagues four months ago. Five hours after I said "we did this before," I got a call from the first loan officer saying I'm approved. I'm to fax over more documents and the underwriter still has to rubber-stamp the thing, but we have a go.
- Someone will be calling about homeowner's insurance. Which I will need, because the building is not on bedrock.

I finished the day with "Hey, Look Me Over" playing in my head. It's the only song I know with the word 'mortgage' in the lyrics.


Today's earrings: bees, typewriter keys

Bedtime reading: The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper, John D. MacDonald

The Kate Harding, 1892

Today's earrings: mermaids, anchors

Bedtime reading: Disclosure Package, The Realtor

Fun fact

The place I intend to buy is within the catchment area for Galileo High.


Today's earrings: hands, basketweave spoons

Bedtime reading: Disclosure Package, The Realtor

Homework

M held my hand as I met with The Realtor (fille) and signed stuff. I gave her a largish check. In return, she gave me two ring-bound reams of paper: one for me to keep; the other to read, sign at each of the dozens of post-its, and return within the week.

Went to lunch with M. We discussed my (conditionally) impending change of address. How to arrange my furniture, the logistics of me hosting Thanksgiving, appliance purchases, that sort of thing. I was exceedingly tiresome about insisting on the conditional tense. She was remarkably forebearing. At some point I should compile a list of useful phrases: "don't count your chickens," "many a slip 'twixt cup and lip," all that jazz. [damn - I should have worn the coffee cup & chicken earrings. Must make note for future The Realtor meetings.]

A brand-new building in the neighborhood was having its Grand Opening, so we inspected the place. Good layouts, kinda loud. Of course, there's only so much you can do about sound when the property is on Bush Street and the the current fashion is exterior walls of glass. There were these two apartments on the second floor, with terraces and bedrooms below, that were totally excellent. One had a ladder from the terrace down into the lightwell for the bedrooms - so cool. Really smart use of space.


Today's earrings: elephants, brass triangles

Bedtime reading: Disclosure Package, The Realtor

I got stuff checked off my list

Didn't get a whole lot of work done, but I did make contact with the Loan People (sent them much paper) and The Realtor (fille) (made an appointment to do paperwork Sunday).


Today's earrings: eyes, liberty dimes

Bedtime reading: Red As Blood, Tanith Lee

all before noon

I thought up a really good curse in the shower this morning: May you experience the consequences of your actions.

Too harsh?


More of a crowd than usual at the bus stop this morning. Some guy walked up to one of the regulars and started threatening her - I heard, "If you were a guy I'd beat your ass," and there was more I didn't hear. She just stared at him. He walked away, but he kept pointing back to her and miming kicking as he crossed the street. Coward that I am, I did nothing until he'd gone around the corner, and only then did I go ask her if she was OK. "I don't know him," she said. "I didn't think you did," I said, "Just wanted to check you're OK." She said yeah, and I heeded her 'I have had way too much human contact for now' vibe and stepped away.


Came in to find three months of the Barbados Gazette on my chair. Hooray! I <3 gazettes.

10:30 finally got a call back from the city. I'm approved. Didn't the realtor call? (Yes, she called two days ago, but for some reason, we decided to do the "who's on first?" sketch instead of having a productive conversation.)
10:40 vm to loan officer.

Finished sorting through the Barbados Gazette; found one (1) piece of relevant information.

11:15 Boss hands me my annual review form. She said nice things. We're going for a muffin later.


Today's earrings: strawberries, apples

Bedtime reading: Red As Blood, Tanith Lee

Brush with B-52

I was on my way to the supermarket after work. Round about Kearney, I realized the tourist next to me getting all sticker-shocked about the fare had a very familiar voice. I glanced over, and went Fred! I didn't say that out loud. No, I said something inane about the mass-transit experience. He said he could get that on the subway. Seemed a fair point. We stopped at Grant, and a row of tourists formed, snapping shots of the cable car. He started laughing. "You don't get that on the subway," I said, He and his companion said, "Well..." I suppressed the urge to point out Coit Tower and the steeples of Sts Peter & Paul as we went by. I suppressed the urge to get all fangirly effusive at him - if he wanted effusion, he'd have been traveling differently. I did, however, keep sneaking peeks. And eavesdropping. They were on their way to Whole Foods and then meeting some people later. I suppressed the urge to tail them to Whole Foods, and got off at Cala like I'd planned.

OMG OMG OMG Fred!


Today's earrings: bunnies, flowers

Bedtime reading: "Useful Phrases for the Tourist," Joanna Russ

Scales

Happy Equinox! The sun enters Libra today.

I spent the morning on the phone trying to figure out how to set the time on my 5-year tchotchke. My quest was hampered by the nice lady's inability to find me in her computer. Turns out I'd been filed under the wrong company, and was actually supposed to have been picking from an entirely different tchotchke array. Did I want to send my tchotchke back and choose another? I told her no, no - now that I know how to set the time, the clock is lovely.

Then I got a call from The Realtor (fille), talking about me coming in write an offer this week. I asked if that meant she'd heard from the city about my ap. Um, er, no. Mmmkay. I'd be happy to move along with this, but until we get approval from the city it's kind of pointless, and The Realtor (père) only submitted the paperwork on Friday, so, huh? I did take it as a reminder to leave a follow-up voicemail with the city.

Later, I did some actual work.


Today's earrings: alligators, other alligators

Bedtime reading: Night of the Morning Star, Peter O'Donnell

The Object-Lesson

At twilight, however, no message had come from the asylum,
so the others retired to the kiosk,
only to discover the cakes iced a peculiar shade of green
and the tea-urn empty
save for a card on which was written the single word:
Farewell.
- - Edward Gorey

Did anyone see a psychiatric explanation of why House's hallucinations were of Amber and Kuttner? Because I didn't. Rendered the whole enterprise fairly pointless.



Today's earrings: diamonds, suns

Bedtime reading: Night of the Morning Star, Peter O'Donnell

Pettiness

Mid-morning, the receptionist came around to say that A had been invited to lunch by the chief consultant guy, and the chief consultant guy had decided to turn it into a pizza party, who wanted in? She described A as our "former office manager." Said everyone really liked him. Not quite. A was the dude sent by corporate to manage the post-takeover integration. By the time I got there, he was mostly making busywork for his assistant. The assistant left; he made petty, time-wasting busywork for himself out of me and my coworkers. There were a few things he might have done to improve how corporate was treating us, but he was way too busy with his busywork... They ended up firing him four years ago.

On the "always postpone meetings with time-wasting morons" principle, I said no, thanks on the pizza.


Today's earrings: cups, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

More events

I dropped off the paperwork for the apartment. [Begin now an extended period of thumb-twiddling.]

And! my boss tells me that Rick is going to propose to Mindy tomorrow. Again.


Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

Filled with incident

I got a call this morning from the realtor dude in charge of that apartment I fell in love with. The person who got their ap in first has failed to secure financing. Am I still interested in buying the place? AND HOW! I replied. Oh, good, he said, and asked me to bring him a current set of documents. He'll pass it to the city, they'll vet my paperwork, and (hopefully) they'll approve me again. Then we go to his pet loan officer, and (hopefully) she'll approve me for a loan. And then (hopefully) I get to go live in the apartment I fell in love with.

About an hour after that, my boss presented me with my 5-Year Tchotchke: a nice desk clock discreetly emblazoned with the corporate logo. Now that I've gotten my tchotchke home, I find that there's no apparent way to adjust the time. Hm.

My boss also shared the sad news that Alan Spaulding died yesterday at the Chamberlain-Lewis wedding reception. Mr. Spaulding died of complications following a bone-marrow donation to his adopted son, for whom he was a suspiciously close match [insert tawdry speculation about Jackie Marler here]. Mr. Spaulding is survived by his sisters Alexandra and Amanda, his son Alan-Michael and his daughter Peyton, his adopted son Philip, his nephew Nick and his niece Vicky, five grandchilden, one great-grandchild, and (apparently) six of his former wives.

Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

[edited to correct the Spaulding obit]

Dali

Google has brought me new knowlege tonight.

I knew that Dali had drawn a tarot deck, based on Rider/Waite. It's available for general sale. There's also a 54-card stripped version with French suit marks printed in the corners, suitable for playing bridge or poker. (For some reason, I have two copies of the latter. Why? Why?)

I've also seen a tarot deck someone cobbled together out of details of Dali paintings. It's very pretty, but of little use for telling fortunes or for playing games.

What I hadn't known was that in 1967 Dali drew a set of court cards and aces with French suit marks. It was published in a limited run, and for some reason no one's reprinted them. Too bad; I would have liked to have a copy.

The ace of diamonds looks like this:

Today's earrings: diamonds, aces

Bedtime reading: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

So you know.

Friday's post was my 666th.

Spooky.


Today's earrings: frogs, crows

Bedtime reading: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

In translation

The moon, like a flower
In heaven’s high bower,
With silent delight
Sits and smiles on the night.

- - William Blake

“Okay, let’s see… In mellow-speak, that would be… ‘Oh, wow, look at the moon.’”

- - Garry Trudeau


Today's earrings: monkeys, mice

Bedtime reading: Night of the Morningstar, Peter O'Donnell

You know what I did?

I forgot Project Runway was on. The Supernatural season premiere was that good.

I came to my senses just in time to see the elimination. I'm watching the insta-rerun now. Models highlights: cliques are forming; Kojii's daughter visits; Valerie gets bounced again and is again really gracious about it. It looks like she might have booked a job from that "industry party" thing as a consolation prize, too.


Today's earrings: rockets, chickens

Bedtime reading: Crimson Joy, Robert B. Parker

Whatever.

One of the dudes in the department down the hall has decided making friends with me is his new project. I didn't have any strong objection, so, whatever. Except now he's taken to asking me to get coffee.

The first time (last Friday), I was kinda stuck in the office, and so suggested Tuesday morning. He seized upon the suggestion. Tuesday morning comes, he doesn't show. Whatever.

Tuesday afternoon, he suggests Wednesday morning. OK. This morning, he doesn't show. Whatever.

This afternoon, he calls and asks if I want to get coffee right then, and I said no, I don't drink coffee after noon. My insomnia is bad enough without adding extra caffeine. Right before quitting time, he stopped by my desk and started talking about going to Jamba Juice tomorrow afternoon. Whatever. He also mentioned maybe coming along the next time I go for drinks with the guys, except that he's busy evenings Monday through Thursday. Which makes me wonder why he brought it up, because, what with one thing and another, we usually go drinking on Tues/Thurs.

Maybe I'm reading to much in, but it feels like he's expecting me to make this befriending thing happen. Like, now that I've been made aware that it's his project to make friends with me, it's my responsibility to make reminder calls to keep him on schedule. Because after all, I'm the girl, and that sort of thing is the girl's job - even though it's his project, not mine. Y'know?


Today's earrings: irons, brooms

Bedtime reading: Crimson Joy, Robert B. Parker

What's black and white and red all over?

A Red Panda!

Well, not really. But the bear is cute.


Today's earrings: polar bears, black bears

Bedtime reading: Crimson Joy, Robert B. Parker

Major Earring Score

Went to the Millbrae Art & Wine Fest with b2. We shopped. We drank wine. We ran into her parents. (Hi, b2's parents!) I scored major quantities of earrings. Then we went for ice cream.

I also got a sunburn. When will I learn the Lesson of Sunscreen?


Today's acquisitions: yellow schoolbuses, chickens, broomsticks, aces, black bears, brown bears, mice.

Today's earrings: swords, alligators

Bedtime reading: Crimson Joy, Robert B. Parker

The bridge is out

http://baybridgeinfo.org/

So I (of course) went to the east bay for brunch with T&S& the gang.
It was lovely :)



Today's earrings: hands, apples

Bedtime reading: Crimson Joy, Robert B. Parker

Song of the day

There's a pulse in the new-born sun;
A beat in the heat of noon;
There's a song as the day grows long,
And a tempo in the tides of the moon.
It's all around us and it's everywhere,
And it's deeper than Royal blue.
And it feels so real you can feel the feeling!
And that's The Majesty Of Rock!
The fantasy of Roll!
The ticking of the clock,
The wailing of the soul!
The prisoner in the dock,
The digger in the hole,
We're in this together...and ever...
- - David St. Hubbins & Derek Smalls

Today's earrings: skeletal fish

Bedtime reading: Dead Heat, Felix Francis

Yes, we should brunch this weekend

Thanks for the commiseration, guys. :) We should pick a day & time. I've got a street fair to attend Saturday, so Sunday/Monday?

I was Not Pleased with how the Qristyl vs Epperson problem was made to be all about Qristyl's leadership skills. That little clip where he's telling her how to pin fabric together so that the right sides end up out? was Epperson doing a bullshit dominance display. It was all about conveying to the onlookers that she's just so incompetent that he's simply compelled to waste time reciting basic concepts in dressmaking to her - and doing it very patiently so that when she (rightly) takes offense, he gets to pretend that he's been perfectly reasonable, and he has no idea why she's overreacting like that. The problem wasn't Qristyl's leadership skills; it was Epperson's lack of following (women) skills.

Model recap:
Everyone was really happy to see Valerie back. Seems she was the one keeping the kitchen clean, and without her they'd had to draw up a task rota. Erica and Matar are BFF. Fatma is still in lurve with Logan. Gossip among the other models is that he doesn't want to work with her because her heavy-handed flirting was creeping him out. Fatma is still not talking to Vanessa, who was the one who suggested Fatma put a sock in it about being chosen by Mitchell last week.

Kojii and Fatma take their day off to go to a casting for something-or-other, and in the car, Fatma starts bitching about Vanessa. In a bored, dispassionate tone, Kojii tells her that she's behaved badly and is a total hypocrite, to boot. When they get back to the Model Home, Fatma wakes up Vanessa to apologize. Vanessa's not having it. She questions the timing, and points out that while Fatma says she's apologizing, she keeps walking it back with rationalizations. The next morning, Vanessa's roommates are all, "Jerry Springer in my room at 2am last night; sucked." 2am? Ouch. Makes Vanessa's total ungraciousness about Fatma's apology more explicable.

Model picking: Ra'mon sticks with Vanessa. Carol Hannah decides to change models, starting a cascade. Epperson ditches Erika for Matar. Louise chooses Fatma next-to-last. Between Valerie and Erika, Qristyl chooses Valerie. Erika makes a very gracious parting speech, but Matar is bereft without her.

Next week: Heidi inspects the refrigerator in the Model Home.


Today's earrings: leaves, koi

Bedtiem reading: Dead Heat, Felix Francis

Hot hot hot

I suppose watching a Top Chef episode that was filmed in the desert heat should be bringing me some kind of perspective, but no. It was too hot to sleep here last night, and tonight is shaping up the same.

I need to get some rest. And maybe a fan.


Today's earrings: fire extinguishers, peppers

Bedtime reading: Dead Heat, Felix Francis

Kind of a downer

I went to see an apartment this morning. It's a below market rental on top of Powell Station. It's a bit smaller than my current place, but other than that, it's pretty much exactly where I'd like to live. The fly doing the crawl across my chowder? I don't qualify. It didn't occur to me to do the math until after I'd submitted the application and made an appointment to see the place, but last year's COLA bumped me over the income limit. After I'd belatedly figured out my current pay, I started hoping that the apartment would be one large sour grape, so I could feel good about not getting it. But, no. It's a perfectly livable place. I just won't get to live there.

*sigh*


Today's earrings: flowers, rabbits

Bedtime reading: Dead Heat, Felix Francis

Today's earworm

Trailers for sale or rent
Rooms to let...fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but..two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.
- - Roger Miller

Today's earrings: compasses

Bedtime reading: Swan for the Money, Donna Andrews

Another eventful day

I spent most of the day on a project that rightfully belongs to a coworker. See, he was out sick, and there was a deadline, so my boss started work on it. She soon found that the way he'd been keeping it was, shall we say, not up to her standards. So yesterday evening she roped me in. Today I got our local IT dude to pull reports for me,* then spent the afternoon blissed-out playing with Excel. Also, avoiding coworker (who I was hoping would be out again today, but no, he came in) because I don't know exactly what our boss told him. I'll be done messing with his stuff on Monday. I hope he forgives me...


*Tip to programmers: when you're creating a database, build in some kind of report function accessible to the end-user types. Everyone will be much happier.


Today's earrings: bees, estrogen molecules

Bedtime reading: Swan for the Money, Donna Andrews

So nice when the right dress wins.

I think Shirin won just for that waistline. As she should.

The Models of the Runway are living up to their drama-promise. In this week's episode:

The models were astonished and displeased that Mitchell survived this round, and they all dread getting stuck with him because a) they think he's not long for this competition and b) he didn't exactly charm them with last week's blame-the-model stunt.

We waste a lot of time listening to the models re-recite the rules of the game, and various among them talk about their sucking-up techniques. Fatma announces that her designer Logan is hot.

Finally, we get to model-picking. Shirin surprises everybody by going back to the model she had in the first episode. Ra'mon makes a big production of wanting to switch to Althea's model, but Althea gives him massive stinkeye and he backs off and chooses the same model as this week. Mitchell chooses Fatma. As she passes behind the screen, she dramatically raises her hands to the sky in a "why me, Lord?" gesture (that everyone sees). She begins tantrumming about losing Logan the hottie for Mitchell the loser as soon as she hits the model room, and won't shut up. Out at the runway, Logan chooses someone else. Fatma glares at her when she gets back to the model room. Somebody tries to reason with Fatma about maybe not being so openly obnoxious while the cameras are running, and Fatma turns on her. The rest of the game of musical chairs goes off without serious incident. The one left out is Malvin's model Valerie, who seems to be a lovely woman. Everyone is sorry to see her go. Except Fatma, who's still pouting about losing Logan.

Next week: Fatma, still not getting over it.


Today's earrings: flies, fish

Bedtime reading: Swan for the Money, Donna Andrews

How I spent my afternoon

Note: "brides chaussure" is not labeled on this diagram. We decided to go with "pull tab," though "bootstrap" was a strong contender.

Today's earrings: frogs, rocks

Bedtime reading: Swan for the Money, Donna Andrews

Authentic Alligator Boots

http://storeforknowledge.com/Augie-Alligator-Boots-Size-6-7-P11096C0.aspx

Today's earrings: boots, alligators

Bedtime reading: Swan for the Money, Donna Andrews

Galileo's telescope

Today's earrings: turtles, other turtles

Bedtime reading: Swan for the Money, Donna Andrews

Happy birthdays [observed]!

The bouncy house was a brilliant idea. It gave everyone something to do/watch while eating the yummy food and talking to all the nice people.

Odd fact: all M's friends' children were pleasant and well behaved. All of them. It bothers me that this is unusual.

Fun fact: the bouncy house had the president's picture on the front.



Today's earrings: rockets, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Sand Sharks, Margaret Maron

Found while web-surfing

Poster1: I honestly am having trouble coming up with a meaningful distinction between the insurance companies and organized crime. Seriously.

Poster2: you can contact organized crime after 5pm.



Today's earrings: flowers, other flowers

Bedtime reading: Sand Sharks, Margaret Maron

Return to the Runway

Plus! Models of the Runway: a weekly half-hour of the model experience. They're going to be re-picking models every week, and they've also got the models sharing living quarters. And there's a cash prize for the winning model. Since there's very little the models can do to influence whether they stay or go, I expect a lot of drama.


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: Sand Sharks, Margaret Maron

Happy Meg's Birthday

Party here.


Today's earrings: sapphires, rabbits

Bedtime reading: Sand Sharks, Margaret Maron

Drinks at the Elks Club

One of my coworkers just became an Elk, and he graciously asked a few of us to have a drink with him in the club bar. It's a very nice bar, right above Farallon. We had several drinks.

On my way to the bus I succumbed to the siren call of the bookstore. They didn't have Repo Man in stock, so I made do with a remaindered copy of Thelma and Louise.


Today's earrings: deer, rocks

Bedtiem reading: Sand Sharks, Margaret Maron

I have this inexplicable urge to see Repo Man again

"Nice friends you got there, Otto."
"Thanks, I made them myself."
- - Alex Cox

Today's earrings: coffee cups, tools

Bedtime reading: Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett

Tonight's theme: Electricity

First, the buyer on Property Virgins was a woman who'd been struck by lightning the year before she went on the show.
Then on Eureka, the crisis of the week spread via electrical transmission.
On Warehouse 13, the MacGuffin electrocuted people.
And finally, Dave Chapelle did the electric guitar sketch with John Mayer.

Spooky.


Today's earrings: flies, fish

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling

If wishes were owls...

I'd be nocturnal, and it wouldn't matter that the people next door kept the party going until 4am yesterday morning. I hate having to knock on the neighbors' doors.


Today's earrings: owls, wishbones

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling

s/w a mortgage broker today

I have surprisingly good credit. Next step: call realtor & make appointment to go tour something.


Today's earrings: hands, keys

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling

So, that one place I was talking about

with the wall of glass brick facing the street? If I'm reading google right, the street in question is the alley behind Angry Lemming's office. And if I'm reading the property description right, the apartment has deeded parking.

But does that make up for the place being innundated if sea level rises more than 4 meters? And in a liquefaction zone? Probably not. Liquefaction + glass brick = unhappiness.


Today's earrings: rabbits, suns

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling

Hot Hot Hot

With puppets.



Today's earrings: lizards, rocks

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling

Brunch stretches out all day

Turns out everybody was right: Apples to Apples is fun.


Today's earrings: eyes, liberty dimes

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling

I get a special tchotchke for staying in my job this long

I think I've settled on one of the clocks, but the globe keeps calling to me...


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling

Cool graph

http://kisonecat.com/2008/01/29/visualizing-pineapple-pancakes/



Today's earrings: pines, apples

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling

Stuff to consider when buying property

You've got to look to the future. And the huge pdf of hazard.


Today's earrings: pigs, citrine drops

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling

Afternoon at the museum

Happy news: the poodles are back.


Today's earrings: spiders, coins

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling

Happy Birthday, Sean!

Today's earrings: compasses

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling

Cheese

http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/282-a-cheese-map-of-canada/


Today's earrings: owls, Sts Bridget and Clare

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling

Fish

Flying


Today's earrings: flies, fish

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling

Big Brother

Today's earrings: eyes, cameras

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling

Warehouse 13

The first time I remember seeing this show, it was called "Friday the 13th - the Series." This version is better.


Today's earrings: turtles, other turtles

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling

another tourists-on-transit day

I stopped at the market on the way home, which means cable car. The brakeman got totally pissy with the tourists. Too many people who can't/won't understand the concept of "keep the space behind the brakeman clear," with a side order of idiots wandering into traffic.

Yes, I live in a tourist attraction; no, it's not actually a theme park. Please do not walk into the path of the oncoming cars.

Then the woman in front of me at the checkstand paid in quarters. *sigh*


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling

If wishes were monkeys...

Sharon would be a very happy woman.


Today's earrings: monkeys, wishbones

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling

Luke 2:14

"w00t to teh Ceiling Cat! An peace fer doodz he luffs! Kthxbai."

- LOLcat Gospels

cf. The Brick Testament

thanks to the Angry Lemming for the tip.


Today's earrings: pineapples, peas

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling

On my lawn

Some kind of teenage class trip occupied the back half of the bus this morning, and they chattered the whole way downtown. I wanted to turn to them and shout, "HEY! We do not talk on the bus! SHUT UP!"

Fortunately for everyone, I hadn't had my coffee yet.


Today's earrings: scarabs

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling

Hermit crab, exposed

Today's earrings: crabs, shells

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling

A bird in the hallway

I opened my door this morning to a flutter of wings. My response was loud, but not really what I'd call verbal. I then ended up following the bird down the hall, and then we circled the foyer, staying as far away from each other as possible until I could escape out the door and it escaped back down the hall.

In other news, I just found this on craigslist: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/reo/1271737352.html
I wonder if they're serious.

Today's earrings: skeletal fish

Bedtime reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling

Saw the new Harry Potter

Draco Malfoy is growing up quite nicely. Quite nicely.


Today's earrings: owls, wishbones

Bedtime reading: The Ozark Trilogy, Suzette Haden Elgin

E

He nodded and began to, well, it wasn't what a purist could call singing exactly ... but it was certainly a conscientious effort toward making a joyful noise unto the Lord.

- - Margaret Maron

Today's earrings: rockets, citrine drops

Bedtime reading: Southern Discomfort, Margaret Maron

I reject your false dichotomy

I am, at present, a straphanger paper pusher.


Today's earrings: bees, coins

Bedtime reading: One Man Show, Michael Innes

Leverage

New season started tonight. It was the usual lighthearted romp, but, sadly, I must dock points because Parker didn't jump off any buildings. It's much better when she's jumping off buildings.


Today's earrings: spiders, crows

Bedtime reading: One Man Show, Michael Innes

Happy Birthday, Angry Lemming!

Many happy returns of the day.

Today's earrings: mermaids, shells

Bedtime reading: One Man Show, Michael Innes

I'm back!

Shiny New Computer is shiny.


Today's earrings: eyes, apples

Bedtime reading: One Man Show, Michael Innes

radio silence

My home computer is a large, blocky paperweight. Fortunately, I have magnanimous relatives, so I should be back on line soon. but not yet.


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: Bad Monkeys, Matt Ruff

I've been procrastinating about getting a firewall

This morning, the bad software invaded my computer again. I'm about to go home and run the anti-malware thingy again, but, y'know...

M, it may take a while to finish that Scrabble game.


Today's earrings: hands, dice

Bedtime reading: Bad Monkeys, Matt Ruff

Y'know, I gotta ask

WTF is up with Round Table Pizza's consistently creepy advertising? If they aren't sending the souls of vegetables through the pearly gates, they've got a guy earnestly entreating a pizza to "put on a topping." Does this crap really sell pizzas? Because I find it more than a little off-putting.


Today's earrings: scarabs

Bedtime reading: Bad Monkeys, Matt Ruff

Today's big excitement

The network went down for about an hour this afternoon.


Today's earrings: monkeys, keys

Bedtime reading: Bad Monkeys, Matt Ruff

From today's fortune cookie

"Your goal will be met in two months."


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: Soon I will be Invincible, Austin Grossman

If wishes were llamas...

...we'd all have really warm sweaters.


Today's earrings: llamas, wishbones

Bedtime reading: Reflex, Dick Francis

New movie challenge

Name a movie where the protagonist is an adult woman, and she ends up

1. Alive and healthy
2. Happy
3. Not in love

I think I've got one that fits this and passes the Bechdel test.


Today's earrings: pigs, green eggs

Bedtime reading: Reflex, Dick Francis

Periodic table

- - Andrew Plotkin

Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Reflex, Dick Francis

Camera

16c., in Mod.L. camera obscura "dark chamber" (a black box with a lens that could project images of external objects), from L. camera "vaulted room," from Gk. kamara "vaulted chamber," from PIE base *kam- "to arch." Contrasted with camera lucida (L., "light chamber"), which uses prisms to produce an image on paper beneath the instrument, which can be traced. Shortened to camera when modern photography began, 1840 (extended to television filming devices 1928).
Camera-shy is from 1922.
- - Etymonline.com

Today's earrings: eyes, cameras

Bedtime reading: Reflex, Dick Francis

The gazebo is no more

We had a lovely brunch, then M won at Scrabble, then we ripped that thing down. Confused Cricket won the post-gazebo Risk game.


Today's earrings: coffee cups, tools

Bedtime reading: Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett

Oh, Canada

I chose my earrings this morning hoping to charm the Canadian government into publishing the schedules they promied weeks ago.

I should have known better. My charms always boomerang.
Hey! Maybe if I got some boomerang earrings, they would create a double-reverse function that would allow me to do some effective magical thinking! Oh, wait...


Today's earrings: bears, suns

Bedtime reading: Annals of Klepsis, R.A. Lafferty

Eventful week, huh?

So we've seen a disputed election in Iran, Solstice, R&J's wedding, Tiger getting his first stitches and a new second cousin, the governor of South Carolina going walkabout (and his aides doing their best to turn "hiking the Appalachian Trail" into a euphemism), Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson dying on the same day. This weekend, brunch and gazebo demolition at the now less-electric Dancing Square, and also Pride. Lots of stuff going on all over the place.

I spent the afternoon with Section 148 of the Pakistani Income Tax Ordinance of 2001 and compiling a list of goods zero-rated for sales tax.


Today's earrings: roses, brass triangles

Bedtime reading: Annals of Klepsis, R.A. Lafferty

Little Bunny Foo Foo

Little Bunny Foo Foo hopping through the forest
Scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head

Down came the Good Fairy, and she said:
"Little Bunny Foo Foo, I don't want to see you
Scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head."

What does it mean?

Wikipedia tells us, "Little Bunny Foo Foo is a children's rhyme, involving a rabbit harassing a population of field mice. The rabbit is scolded and eventually punished by a fairy."

But why would a rabbit be molesting the mice? It makes little sense. Perhaps it's a political allegory to which we no longer see the key, like the Mother Goose rhymes. Or, if not, maybe we could make one up? (A political allegory, I mean.) That would be more fun than "origin unknown."

Today's earrings: mice, rabbits

Bedtime reading: Annals of Klepsis, R.A. Lafferty

Been staying up too late, reading

Elgin's Ozark Trilogy.

I got halfway through the third book before I put into words that Responsible of Brightwater is the horseshoe nail on which the world (as well as the story) depends. I got the horseshoe nail concept from Lafferty's Annals of Klepsis:

The humanly inhabited universe, according to the best — or at least the newest — mathematical theory, does have a tertiary focus, and it is there that it is vulnerable. The humanly inhabited universe, with its four suns and its seventeen planets, is an unstable closed system of human orientation and precarious balance, a kinetic three-dimensional ellipse in form, with its third focus always approaching extinction. As with any similar unstable premise-system, the entire construct must follow its third focus into extinction. This is known as the ‘Doomsday Equation’. [. . . ] The third focus of the humanly inhabited universe has been determined to be both a point and a person on the Planet Klepsis, on the surface of the planet, which is extraordinary in itself. Of the person, the human element of the anthropo-mathematical function, little is known except the code name the ‘Horseshoe Nail’, and the fact that the person is more than two hundred years old. This is an added precarious element. Actuary figures show that only one in a hundred billion humans will reach the age of two hundred years, and none will go far beyond it.

Turns out that The Ozark Trilogy (1981) predates Annals of Klepsis (1983), which dashes my initial presumptions. Just because I read the Lafferty first doesn't mean he wrote it first; I roll my eyes at myself.
I wonder if they knew each other. I should go ask her, while I still can.

Also in The Ozark Trilogy: into each generation is born one girl who is Responsible, and the world is on her shoulders. Sound familiar?


So I went looking for horseshoe nail earrings. The results were disappointing. Seems no one can bring themselves to just hang a pair of horseshoe nails from French hooks and be done with it. No, they've got to electroplate them or twist them into patterns or gussy them up with beads. I suppose that's more fun for the jeweler, but not what I was looking for.


Today's earrings: racing camels, peppers

Bedtime reading: And Then There'll Be Fireworks, Suzette Haden Elgin

Happy Summer

Today's earrings: sapphires, estrogen molecules

Bedtime reading: The Grand Jubilee, Suzette Haden Elgin

Jupiter in Retrograde 6/15 - 10/13

...As the planet of the future, retrograde Jupiter will prompt you to examine your goals and how you'll get there. Heeding your intuition can keep your goals on track - or help you find a new path altogether. Be open to receiving messages from unexpected (unseen?) sources that can guide your direction - signs from the universe, if you will. A sign may come from meeting a long-lost friend who works in a field you've been considering, which propels you toward a new job. Or perhaps you'll suddenly hear a song on the radio that offers a clue about what you need to do.

During this time, be introspective and let the Universe guide you. Then you'll have a clearer perspective about your life, both spiritually and materially, after Jupiter turns direct.

- - Cortney Litwin, California Astrologers

Today's earrings: ants, planets

Bedtime reading: Twelve Fair Kingdoms, Suzette Haden Elgin

Two things

My boss's boss was in the office today celebrating the new fiscal year. He bought us all pizza, told us how we'd done this year, what's in the works for next year, that sort of thing. What's in the works for next year is huge. As in, someone figured out how to sell our stuff to everyone on the planet... and it's supposed to go live in August. At first I was all, "Profit!" and then I was like, "Wait, how many people will be calling to complain if I mess up?"
Scary. In a good way.

I got home to find a loan approval letter in my mailbox, with an interest rate on it and everything. A pretty good interest rate, too. So if the person who currently has my dream apartment under contract wanders off, I can actually for real buy the place. And if they don't, well, this suggests I can get a loan for another place, and it's time to get serious about looking.
Scary. In a good way.


Today's earrings: spiders, webs

Bedtime reading: Notes from the Fat-O-Sphere, Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby

Experience

Google can't find the lyrics to "Experience" (written by Burke & Van Heusen, sung by Dorothy L'Amour in The Road to Rio). The clip doesn't seem to be on the web, either. It seems an odd omission.

I found "Road to Morocco," though.


Today's earrings: flowers, olive shells

Bedtime reading: Notes from the Fat-O-Sphere, Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby

Saving Grace

The new season permiered tonight. I've gotten to like the show, despite TNT's lousy advertising. (Seriously, when the ads run in the middle of the show, I change the channel, they're so bad.) Anyway - what I like are the little things, like the collection jar perched on a counter near the office door. It wasn't mentioned in the dialogue at all. The characters talked about the guy for whom the collection was being taken, and they slipped cash into the jar in passing, but the scriptwriters restrained themselves from having the characters explain it to the dim-witted in the audience. I like that.


Today's earrings: eyes, liberty dimes

Bedtime reading: Lessons from the Fat-O-Sphere, Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby

Critique

I've been reading Elgin's Native Tongue trilogy. The first book was depressing - it's set in a near-future distopia where women are legally minors - but pretty darn good, I thought. The second book was longer, more scattered. It felt like the middle book of a trilogy. Then I got to the third book, in which the author loses her mind. Books one and two are about women fighting the power as best they can in a world almost like our own. The third book opens with a new character having a visionquest vision of the now-dead lead character of book one, followed by the revelation that human beings don't need food, but can live on music. No, seriously. There's a middle section that goes skipping about through the next few centuries, and reads like sketches for a bunch of short stories that don't quite all belong in the same universe. Then a denoument in which it is finally brought to the attention of the men "in charge" that a significant portion of the population has stopped consuming food. I am strongly reminded of Margaret Murray's theory that many if not most people in medieval Europe weren't actually Catholics. If there were that many not-Catholics, why did they let the Church run everything? Makes no sense.

It's like she couldn't figure out how to end the trilogy she'd started, so she swapped in the end of some other saga and hoped readers wouldn't notice.


Today's earrings: flies, crows

Bedtime reading: Earthsong, Suzette Haden Elgin

Bunny

1690, dim. of Scottish dialectal bun, pet name for "rabbit," previously (1587) for "squirrel," and also a term of endearment for a young attractive woman or child (1606). Ultimately could be from Scottish bun "tail of a hare" (1538), or from Fr. bon, or from a Scand. source. The Playboy Club hostess sense is from 1960. The Bunny Hug (1912), along with the foxtrot and the Wilson glide, were among the popular/scandalous dances of the ragtime era.
- - http://www.etymonline.com/

Today's earrings: rabbits, other rabbits

Bedtime reading: Earth Song, Suzette Haden Elgin

One fish, two fish

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.
Black fish, blue fish, old fish, new fish.
This one has a little star.
This one has a little car.
Say! What a lot of fish there are.
Yes. Some are red. And some are blue.
Some are old. And some are new.
Some are sad. And some are glad.
And some are very, very bad.
Why are they sad and glad and bad?
I do not know. Go ask your dad.
Some are thin. And some are fat.
The fat one has a yellow hat.
From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.

- - Theodore Geisel

Today's earrings: fish, other fish

Bedtime reading: The Judas Rose, Suzette Haden Elgin

France has won!

July 3rd, 2006, I was at the meat counter at Whole Foods and realized that Hubert Keller(!) was standing next to me. He caught me gawping at him. I told him he was wonderful on camera. He thanked me and went back to choosing sausages. Such a gracious man.

I'm glad he won the first round.


Today's earrings: suns, other suns

Bedtime reading: The Judas Rose, Suzette Haden Elgin

Flowering Judas

Today's earrings: flowers, other flowers

Bedtime reading: The Judas Rose, Suzette Haden Elgin

Ephemera

http://iparrizar.mnstate.edu/~juan/fm_astronomy.php


Today's earrings: dragonflies, other dragonflies

Bedtime reading: Death's Half Acre, Margaret Maron

Nice day

A pleasant brunch, then M went with to an open house. Those bedrooms were tiny. Also, poor bathroom placement on one of the models. Locations's still good, though.

Then I went home.


Today's earrings: turtles, other turtles

Bedtime reading: Death's Half Acre, Margaret Maron

It's a sign

Today's earrings: llamas, rocks

Bedtime reading: Death's Half Acre, Margaret Maron

I'm pre-approved

I have a letter from the bank saying so. Of course, it was attached to an email saying my file is still with the underwriter, so, y'know. We'll see.


Today's earrings: hands, citrine drops

Bedtime reading: Death's Half Acre, Margaret Maron

Uncle John's Band

It's the same story the crow told me;
It's the only one he knows.
Like the morning sun you come and like the wind you go.
Ain't no time to hate, barely time to wait,
Woh - oh, what I want to know, where does the time go?

I live in a silver mine and I call it Beggar's Tomb;
I got me a violin and I beg you call the tune
Anybody's choice, I can hear your voice.
Woh - oh, what I want to know, how does the song go?

Come hear the Uncle John's Band by the riverside
Got some things to talk about, here beside the risin' tide
Come hear Uncle John's Band playing to the tide,
Come on along, or go alone,
He's come to take his children home.
Woh - oh, what I want to know, how does the song go?

Come hear Uncle John's Band by the riverside,
Got some things to talk about here beside the risin' tide.
Come hear Uncle John's Band playing to the tide, come on
Along or go alone, he's come to take his children home.

- - Robert Hunter

Today's earrings: turtles, coins

Bedtime reading: Reflex, Dick francis

Not so fast, there

Today's earrings: rockets, rabbits

Bedtime reading: Reflex, Dick Francis

More dentistry

I've never had so much novocaine, and this was just a cleaning. Now the left side of my mouth is throbbing gently.


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: The Xanadu Talisman, Peter O'Donnell

Found on Facebook

This week I was befriended by Dave S., who many of you may remember from high school. He's married with two kids, and living outside Sacto. Which is very odd, since I still think of him as a teenager.


Today's earrings: squirrels

Bedtime reading: Slow Dollar, Margaret Maron

Too rushed to put on earrings this morning

First thing this morning, I had a counseling session with the nice man from the city's homebuyer program. He asked where I am in the process. I told him. He asked some questions. I answered. He said, "Oh. You don't really need counseling." Not with my relatives, no, I don't. But we had a nice time talking real estate, and he signed off on my certificate thingie. Now, if I can get a loan and the person who currently has dibs on the apartment loses their financing or something, I can buy the place. Not holding my breath.

All that made me quite late to work, so I stayed very late at the office. When I finally got on the bus for home, we were first passed by a string of fire trucks, then stopped at Grant because the fire dudes were setting up shop on the corner there. Huge crowds of people were gawking at I don't know what. No smoke or flame visble that I could see...

I walked home.


Bedtime reading: Risk, Dick Francis

And so I'm back

The trip was lovely: much lazing about and playing with Tiger. Tiger is adorable. I think he likes me. His parents are nice, too. :)


Today's earrings: bees, typewriter keys

Bedtime reading: Risk, Dick Francis

Greeting from New York City!

I believe I checked off every item on my to-do list for the past week - much to-ing and fro-ing - except I didn't vote this morning. I feel bad about it. I always vote. *sigh*

But! Now I am here in NYC. K greeted me, gave me food and water, and has gone back to bed. I will follow her example soon.


Bedtime reading: Smoke and Mirrors, Neil Gaiman

Up ridiculously early

I hate when I wake up at four in the morning and can't get back to sleep. As you might expect, I was not terrifically productive today.

And I'm really tired.


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: Banker, Dick Francis

The Guiding Light

My boss spent about 45 minutes this afternoon catching me up on The Guiding Light. It seems that two of the women characters are falling in love, and my boss is part of the on-line chatter about it all. My contributions to the conversation were along the lines of, "Philip's not really a Spaulding, you know," and, "for some reason, I remember the black cloth mary janes Holly wore when she was in jail."

Surprisingly, I finished the work I meant to finish.

Then I went to a class for first-time homebuyers. I found out the names of some of the standard forms, but other than that? Dinner with T&S was more informative.

I got home to a message from b2 that the Bad Man had left the island, and then I watched Sam Winchester break the last seal and set Lucifer free.

It's been a full evening.


Today's earrings: coffee cups, suns

Bedtime reading: Banker, Dick Francis