Asked my siblings for advice about contractors

The time has come

to start thinking about starting to re-catalogue my library.


Today's earrings: elephants, mice

Bedtime reading: My Heart Leaps Up, R.A. Lafferty

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

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'm proud of myself. Sort of.

The office troll was at my desk on legitimate business. Then he veered off into something irrelevant, and then something revolting. I said, twice, "I don't want to hear this." He just kept talking. I turned to my computer, put on my headphones, and cranked up the music. He went away soon after.

I can't believe I did something that rude. Usually I say I don't want to hear it and he just keeps talking anyway and I don't want to be rude so I end up listening to him with a tight uncomfortable little smile... which is why I avoid conversations with him if at all possible. This time I said I didn't want to hear it and I enforced that. Go, me! But wow, was I rude.


Today's earrings: elephants, ebony drops

Bedtime reading: Busman's Honeymoon, Dorothy L. Sayers

"I don't think this is safe."

Tonight the cast of Survivor spotted an elephant near camp, and Matty and Ace paddled out across the lake so they could get a better look at the way the elephant was uprooting trees at them. Later, on Ace of Cakes, Duff attempted to climb into the driver's seat of the delivery van while wearing an elephant mascot costume.

Guess who had the wit to realize he wasn't behaving in a manner consistent with health and safety?


Today's earrings: elephants, ebony drops

Bedtime reading: The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett

Motion towards

Spent the morning tidying the place up in preparation for the Nice Realtor Lady's arrival. I even vacuumed. Finally got around to putting the pretty rug down in my bedroom, too.

She turned up and I showed her around, and she was most impressed by the books. I was trying to convey just how much stuff I'm looking to house so she knows what she's up against. Not sure she got it.

Off we went to see a building full of studios south of Market. On the way we got held up by what looked like a circus parade coming down Market St. It all looked very festive, but my, was it in the way. Finally got to see the apartments. The prices were almost within my budget, the location was close to where I'd want to be, but damn, they were small. 300 square feet really isn't much. Plus, lots of polished concrete. She expanded on the theme of, "Location, size, price: pick two." Haven't quite decided yet... We headed back, and it took us over an hour to get to my place. Turns out the obstacle was "Lovefest." (supply your own joke here.)

Then I headed off to the east bay where I met the Confused Cricket and the Angry Lemming. We drove to Palo Alto's Gunn HS, where Neil Gaiman was to speak later. "Yep, that's a high school," we said, "but where's the food?" We found a Hobies and dined in style. Back to the high school. Mr Gaiman read a chapter and an interlude from his latest novel, then treated us to the trailer & selected clips from Coraline (his last book, due out in movie format next year) and then answered questions, finally wrapping up past 10pm. During the interval, we met some friends of CC&AL's, and the friends' highly cute child Eleanor, who waved back at me. Small children love jazz hands.

Got home to find a message from the Wandering Albatross; called back. He was having a foot massage and sounded very relaxed.


Today's earrings: elephants, turtles

Bedtime reading: Feet of Clay, Terry Pratchett

Harmonics

The bubble table was up in the Exploratorium.
People were walking around on top of the south tower of the GG bridge.
We looked at pictures of ceremonies and houses while D napped.
I had "ricotta lemon" gelato for dessert. They were kidding with the name - it was really lemon chiffon.


Today's earrings: elephants, ebony teardrops

Bedtime reading: Making Money, Terry Pratchett

Concentration

...not something I'm having much luck with today. Odd, since I had a high concentration of dopamine molecules about my person. Might help if I could get some sleep.


Today's earrings: elephants, dopamine molecules

Bedtime reading: The Cunning Man, Robertson Davies

Not what I'd write on the walls of a restaurant

'A loaf of bread,' the Walrus said,
'Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed --
Now, if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed.'

'But not on us!' the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
'After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!'
'The night is fine,' the Walrus said,
'Do you admire the view?'
- - Lewis Carroll


Today's earrings: elephants, lockets

Bedtime Reading: American Gods, Neil Gaiman

John Godfrey Saxe's ( 1816-1887) version of the famous Indian legend

It was six men of Indostan,
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approach'd the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, -"Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear,
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"

The Third approach'd the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," -quoth he- "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee:"
What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," -quoth he,-"'
Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said- "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Then, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,"
I see," -quoth he,- "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

MORAL,

So, oft in theologic wars
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean;
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!


Today's earrings: elephants, ebony teardrops

Bedtime reading: Carpe Jugulum, Terry Pratchett

Reconciling the seemingly disparate

Plenty of minutia to whine about, but...

...when I left work, my colleagues were watching the Argentina-Colombia match on Al Jazeera live feed. And I just watched the History Channel program on the Star Trek auction at Christie's.

These things fill me with optimism.


Today's earrings: elephants, ebony teardrops

Bedtime reading: Logorrhea, John Klima, ed.

Ephemera

Seen while channel-flipping:

Elton John singing "Crocodile Rock" with a stadiumfull of middle-aged people jumping around going "naaaaa, na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, na-na-na-naaa."

Kathy Griffin saying how she doesn't confront people. She was raised right, you see, and only talks about them behind their backs. It's called manners.

The whales have had enough of the delta. They made good time today, and are bedded down between Alcatraz and Tiburon. Marine biologists, Coast Guard officers, and State Fish & Game employees are all confident that they'll head out through the Golden Gate tomorrow. (Me, I think they'll be making a side trip to San Jose.) A Darwinist said that maybe a couple of whales who can't find the ocean without the help of marine biologists, Coast Guard officers, and State Fish & Game employees maybe shouldn't be in the gene pool...


Today's earrings: Elephant heads, dopamine molecules

Bedtime reading: Aesop's Fables, Townsend & James, trans.

A million ducks and a twelve-inch pianist

Why are they called "shaggy dog stories"?


Today's earrings: elephants, ebony teardrops

Bedtime reading: King Solomon's Mines, H. Rider Haggard