Farewell, IT Dude

One of our IT dudes left today. The receptionist and I were lamenting this in the ladies' room, because the guy who left is good at his job, and a nice guy, too. This is in contrast to some of his predecessors.
Not like A, I said. I think he was hired for his looks.
And C, she replied, he was also more decorative than useful.
Yes, I said, I remember when I started here, thinking 'that's the best-looking IT department I've ever seen,' and wondering why we had a bunch of male models tending to our programming needs.
She laughed, because it's true.


Today's earrings: leaves, other leaves

Bedtime reading: Sabre-Tooth, Peter O'Donnell

Did you know

You can get a poison ring on Amazon?

No good can come of it.


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: Strong Poison, Dorothy L. Sayers

No news

Thanks for the luck-wishes. :)


Today's earrings: pigs, citrine teardrops

Bedtime reading: Strong Poison, Dorothy L. Sayers

In which we discover that my priorities are not all one might hope.

Yesterday, I checked the real estate section on Craigslist (as I do on a Sunday) and found a posting for that apartment I wanted so badly and couldn't get financing for. It's been relisted. I was having trouble breathing, so I called M and said "ohmygodohmygodohmygod" for a while. She was very soothing. With her help, I managed to read the post carefully enough to figure out that there's no lottery this time: the first application complete with mortgage pre-approval gets the apartment. Which means... ohmygod... I have a credit card... this could work... OH NO WHAT IF SOMEONE ELSE GETS THERE FIRST! M did that soothing thing some more. I called the selling agent, and he said yes, I'd have to complete a new application. He also pointed me to the list of approved lenders and the list of additional hoops I'd need to jump through. I tried calling a couple of the lenders, just in case, but it was still Sunday. This morning I tried again, but didn't get far. I joined the crew at M's, and we headed off to Walnut Creek.

Maggie's memorial was packed. The parking lot was full, the big banquet hall was full - we brought in extra tables, and there were still people sitting in chairs lined up against the walls. T spoke, Maggie's friends and coworkers and neighbors and fellow travelers spoke, and everybody told lovely stories of Maggie being fun and happy and kind with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. Nice lady, our cousin.

After, I went home and got a banker on the phone. She was a little dubious about my shortness of credit, but not discouraging. I also made an appointment to jump through some of those other hoops. I'm not trying to be zen, because, well, yeah. Instead I'm going with a "magical thinking has no effect on outcome" stance. Either I can get financing, or I can't; either I will be the one to submit the first complete application, or I won't. I have taken all the actions that I can take for right now. And the rest of it I can't control.

But wish me luck anyway.


Today's earrings: scarabs

Bedtime reading: Strong Poison, Dorothy L. Sayers

I did not watch Survivor tonight

Most of it, anyway. b2 called just as it was ending and told me to tune in. I did, just in time to see the chief gargoyle do the walk of shame. That was a nice thing to see. Sadly, the bad man is still there. He's incompetent as well as obnoxious, so the other players took an opportunity to eject his equally unpleasant but infinitely more capable schememate. Don't know if I'll watch next week.

Today's earrings: frogs, flowers

Bedtime reading: The Black Doll, Edward Gorey

Migration

Today's earrings: compasses

Bedtime reading: The Black Doll, Edward Gorey

Talked to TL and got the address for Maggie's memorial. Poor guy.

Rally point is M's @ 10am Monday.


Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin

Hot day

It suddenly stopped being sweater weather, so I went sleeveless.


Today's earrings: bees, typewriter keys

Bedtime reading: The Black Doll, Edward Gorey

Happy weekend

What are you all doing?


Today's earrings: bunnies, green eggs

Bedtime reading: In the Frame, Dick Francis

Survivor disappoints again

I'm thinking about not watching the rest of this season. It's not because the Bad Person didn't get voted off; there's sound strategy reasons why the players keep voting other people out. The problem is the editors have decided that this guy (who's a misogynist, a narcissist, a liar, and a shitty player) is the funnest thing since bouncy castles and give him ridiculous amounts of screen time. It's one thing to back up his morning routine of made-up pseudo-tai chi with "O Fortuna." That was funny. It's another to spend 35 minutes of each episode watching him bully and smarm his way around camp. That has me alternately swearing at and flipping off the tv for most of an hour. I'm not seeing a good reason to keep watching a show that pisses me off like this.

Maybe b2 and I can talk about Lost over drinks instead.


Today's earrings: sapphires, aquamarines

Bedtime reading: The Abbess of Crewe, Muriel Spark

Today's vocabulary words

Ad valorem
In practical usage, a percentage.

Provisions
In practical usage, pretzels.


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: The Abbess of Crewe, Muriel Spark

Back to business

I called the nice realtor lady, and she put K's power source in US mail to the NYC address.

Now I just need to know where we're meeting for dinner.


Today's earrings: spiders, webs

Bedtime reading: The Abbess of Crewe, Muriel Spark

Sad news

The Bad Man was not voted out. Instead, a pawn was medevacced. I hope they don't have to amputate his leg or anything.


Today's earrings: monkeys, alligators

Bedtime reading: Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynn Jones

Tomorrow's to-do list

- Call landlord about the dead bird outside my window
- Clean house
- Collect dry cleaning
- Do half a day's work
- Chip at the weekend a little and see if an agenda emerges, like a lion from marble
- Watch Survivor; hopehopehope that The Bad Man gets voted out; discuss with b2

I feel like I'm forgetting something.


Today's earrings: owls, estrogen molecules

Bedtime reading: Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones

So, Friday

Tentative plan is lunch w/ b2, then get scooped up into the family hovercraft and flit north. I hope that works for everyone.

I'm looking forward to seeing Tiger, too. :)


p.s. Watch this: http://vimeo.com/3514904


Today's earrings: flowers, other flowers

Bedtime reading: Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones

The fiscal year is waning

and the folks at the head office are most eager that we should use all our vacation days before June 1. So! Half-days for the rest of the week, taking Monday off, and then I have to devise more leisure. Perhaps I could go east. I should definitely have lunch with sisters...


Today's earrings: rockets, men

Bedtime reading: Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones

I still have a job

The layoffs are all in another division. It'll be a while before the layoffs get to us - seems my business unit was the only one in the corporation to make its numbers this quarter.


Today's earrings: bees, coins

Bedftime reading: The Rebel Angels, Robertson Davies

LA

Project Runway airing on Lifetime this summer.

Also, that photographer whose work I like so much feels there should be more comments here.


Today's earrings: monkeys, suns

Bedtime reading: The Rebel Angels, Robertson Davies