Ordered brackets

Also looked up the process for painting iron. All the DIY sites say to prime, then do two coats of paint, letting each coat completely dry in between. It can take a week, they said. Wear clothes you hate, because it'll be a mess, they said. And... no. I think instead I'll leave the iron bare and apply linseed oil occasionally. It'll be fine.

Bought laundry detergent with the little tiny HE logo on the side

Why is the logo so tiny and on the side of the box? I mean, this is a selling point, right? So why not make it large and legible, front and center? I don't get it.

Re-arranged the stuff under the bathroom sink

Wasn't really anything to clean out under there, so I just shifted things around.


Today's earrings: flies, amber teardrops

Bedtime reading: Blackout, Connie Willis

Down memory lane

French toast brunch at M's.

Back to my alma mater, and OMG BUILDINGS. THEY HAVE BUILT SO MANY BUILDINGS.
Like, they've put a new bookstore in the bookstore parking lot. The bookstore is now admin stuff, and bookstore parking is down in the Hahn lot. The Wells Fargo ATM is right where I left it, though.
Quarry: still the quarry
Picnic lunch overlooking the East Field & attendant View. Still a hell of a view. Many squirrels.
L was much impressed by the view from the bridges over the ravines.
The balconies have gone from the top floors at Porter: what's up with that?
SCAdians with vorpal swords doing battle at the IUD. (The view there has College 8 in it.)
Three deer hanging out pathside near what used to be the bus stop.
"Center of the universe" in front of the theater: still echo-y.
What they built as a student union is now an "Academic Resources Center." M said it would be better as a faculty club, and I think she's right. I seem to recall that's what they first wanted to put there... but I may be confabulating. Nice view, so we ate some cheese there.
Fairy ring of redwoods off the path from the library to Hahn.
We took a last turn around campus, and it turns out for L, organic garden = shiny object. So we climbed into the experimental organic garden above Stevenson. There we met a pair of cats named Buster and Posey. Buster followed us halfway to the car.
Dinner at Alice's Restaurant.

I did a lot of fulminating about the BUILDINGS, OMG SO MANY BUILDINGS.


Today's earrings: Flies, amber

Bedtime reading: All Clear, Connie Willis

Learning experiences

It looked like rain this morning. I don't have a pair of waterproof shoes that goes with my Easter Sunday dress, so I wore a different outfit (and the amber earrings to go with it) to mass at St. Patrick's. I learned that Catholic tourists do not sing at mass, even when encouraged by the priest.


After mass, I met the gang back at my place. They peer-pressured me into changing into warmer clothes (and tree earrings) and going with them to the Muir Woods, where it was raining. I learned that a) redwood groves stay relatively dry, and b) tourists will show up to see redwoods even in the pouring rain.


We lunched in Marin. Then we went to M's, where I napped for a while. K and I went grocery shopping. We noshed on leftover Chinese takeout while playing Apples to Apples. I learned that "the ocean" is more "stunning" than "charging rhinos." Still don't get that one.

M drove us back to my place. At D's insistence, we played Scrabble. S put "CARIBOU" across two double word scores for 96 points. I made a display of poor sportsmanship.

They're leaving first thing in the morning. pout.


Today's earrings: bunnies, amber teardrops, trees


Bedtime reading: Night Shift, Terry Pratchett

The Walrus and the Carpenter

The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done--
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun!"

The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead--
There were no birds to fly.
- - Lewis Carroll

Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: Hard Row, Margaret Maron

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

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.

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

Mostly fixed

The evil pop-ups have gone away, which is nice, but now all google results redirect to various third-party sites. It's annoying. Guess I'll have to go buy something after all. *sigh*


Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: Soon I Will Be Invincible, Austin Grossman

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

Journey again

On the cable car tonight there were two women sitting outside, singing.

In harmony.

Would have been kind of fun if they weren't singing Journey.
Don't stop... belieevin'...


Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: Pyramids, Terry Pratchett

Channel flipping tonight

I found myself watching a show on how KitchenAid mixers are made. Most soothing.


Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: Fool, Christopher Moore

Extravaganza

First thing this morning, I collected a present from the Wandering Albatross at the post office. A big present; I had to drop it at home before going to work. This evening I opened it, and what wonders I beheld! So far my favorites are the poseable emu and the wind-up cow, but that may change after I read the books and put the Hatching Tortoise Grower in water.

The fold-out dinosaur is definitely coming to work with me.


Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: Smoke and Mirrors, Neil Gaiman

Happy Autumn, Everyone

Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett

Still too darn hot

I'd like to coo with my baby tonight
and pitch some woo with my baby
tonight
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight
and pitch some woo with my
baby tonight
but sister you fight my baby tonight
cause it's too darn
hot
it's too darn hot

- - Cole Porter

Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: Silks, Dick & Felix Francis

Stopped into the bookstore on the way home

And found that Margaret Maron has a new book out. Score!
Which got me thinking, I should send Tiger some books. I'll be in Berkeley on Saturday, I could stop at Moe's, get lots of books. Many books. I like sending many books... mmmmm, books...

And then I snapped out of the trance and thought, maybe I should find out what sort of books he likes these days. Fortunately, I know some people who may be able to help with that.


Today's earrings: flies, amber teardrops

Bedtime reading: Death's Half Acre, Margaret Maron

Nevertheless

you've seen a strawberry
that's had a struggle; yet
was, where the fragments met,

a hedgehog or a star-
fish for the multitude
of seeds. What better food

than apple seeds - the fruit
within the fruit - locked in
like counter-curved twin

hazelnuts? Frost that kills
the little rubber-plant -
leaves of kok-sagyyz-stalks, can't

harm the roots; they still grow
in frozen ground. Once where
there was a prickley-pear -

leaf clinging to a barbed wire,
a root shot down to grow
in earth two feet below;

as carrots from mandrakes
or a ram's-horn root some-
times. Victory won't come

to me unless I go
to it; a grape tendril
ties a knot in knots till

knotted thirty times - so
the bound twig that's under-
gone and over-gone, can't stir.

The weak overcomes its
menace, the strong over-
comes itself. What is there

like fortitude! What sap
went through that little thread
to make the cherry red!

- - Marianne Moore


Today's earrings: flowers, amber drops

Bedtime reading: L. Frank Baum, Katharine M. Rogers

It took until lunch the next day

but I finally came up with a response to the prompt, "base a dish on your favorite movie."

Representing The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Meat Loaf. Carved tableside with an electric knife.
(It's not really my favorite movie any more, but I can still quote extended passages if challenged by the judges.)


Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: Thief of Time, Terry Pratchett

No Survivor tonight

I'm feeling fairly bereft at the moment.


Today's earrings: flies, amber

Bedtime reading: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, Terry Pratchett