Psst. Pass it on.

Today's earrings: cups, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Thud!, Terry Pratchett

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

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

Periodic table

- - Andrew Plotkin

Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Reflex, Dick Francis

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

My eye

It's a little swollen, like maybe from a bug bite or something? Anyway, people have been looking at me funny all day. It's making me paranoid. I desperately want to spend tomorrow curled up with a hot compress, but to work I must go...


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman

Still two stockings short

One's going to be pretty easy to fill, but the other one...


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Hare Sitting Up, Michael Innes

Fine night

b2 and I met as usual to drink wine and discuss Survivor. (Excellent episode last night, by the way. A bad person met his comeuppance. It was marvelous.) I had with me a 1,000 piece puzzle of Hicks' Peaceable Kingdom, borrowed from a coworker for a Thanksgiving puzzle, and she had a cake box of food from that afternoon's office party. She suggested stopping by her office later and collecting more of the leftovers after drinks. A lot of food, she said. So we did.

She wasn't exaggerating - even figuring in the entire office's lunch on Monday, there was a hell of a lot of extra food. Mixed veg, mashed potatoes, rice, ham, even pumpkin pie. And also plastic clamshells. Inspired, we assembled some meals from the leftovers and added plastic forks, napkins, and sodas. We gave away three on the way from b2's office to her parking garage, and I gave away the rest near my place after she dropped me off.

Nothing like the warm glow of being generous with someone else's food.


Today's earrings: moose, chocolate molecules

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

Volunteers only

Today, we
- went to the farm to admire the John Deere tractors and their flock of fluffy chickens, and incidentally acquired a lot of vegetables
- went to the post office
- went to the library and got a bunch of books, mostly concerning things with wheels
- got a muffin for Tiger and a cheese danish for me
- napped
- melted frozen chili
- tried to do some crosswording (I'm way out of practice)
- made pumpkin muffins
- went to the farm's Gala End-of-Season Potluck. We brought chili and pumpkin muffins. The greenhouse was all done up with fairy lights and candles and was very festive. I got my first taste of parsnip; I think it'd go well in casserole with yams, K's not so sure. By the time they got to the speeches, Tiger was doing laps of the table with Farmer Dave's boys. The first round of applause startled them into momentary immobility. Then they got back to business. After the second course, we packed up and took off.

And now, it's time for me to stop monopolizing the kitchen computer so K can place her Fresh Direct order already.


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: One on One, Tabitha King

Warning: Lark's Vomit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy6uLfermPU


Today's earrings: ants, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Men at Arms, Terry Pratchett

Jimson Weed Gazette

This dude is giving out prizes for making donations to Obama:
http://jimsonweed.blogspot.com/2008/09/ill-send-you-free-photo.html

Personally I prefer House (West L.A.) from last October, but the one he's giving away is nice, too.


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: The Girls of Slender Means, Muriel Spark

Closing Ceremonies

This evening we ate Ethiopian, in honor of M's birthday. It was most yummy.



Lenny the Chocolate Moose, wishing M many happy returns of the day.


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett

Eternal Summer Slacking

I'm a gonna raise a fuss
I'm a gonna raise a holler
about a workin' all summer
just to try to earn a dollar

- Eddie Cochran

Or, in the case of today, getting very little done just to try to earn a dollar.


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Modesty Blaise, Peter O'Donnell

Sweet

R came and mowed the lawn this morning, driving Tiger into a worshipful tizzy. K and I dragged the poor thing off to the store. We got books and stickers, but all he wanted was to see R, so we came home without going to the library. S took Tiger and R off to the zoo. Happiness!

They came back and R & Tiger played on the jungle gym while K&S worked on stuff and I lay on the living room couch and read about L. Frank Baum. I had just got to the part where the biographer talks sneeringly about the Populist Parable theory of _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ when I dozed off. Naps = good. (Though K did tell me later that I'd been snoring.)

The boys made apple crisp and chocolate chip cookies, consuming a fair amount of raw sugar in the process. R's father joined us for dinner. We ate; Tiger oscillated.

Now I'm going to go read the part of _Witches Abroad_ where someone drops a house on Nanny Ogg.


Today's earrings: moose, chocolate molecules

Bedtime reading: _Witches Abroad_, Terry Pratchett

Chocolate Daisies

The chocolate daisy attracts butterflies.


Today's earrings: flowers, chocolate molecules

Bedtime reading: The Daffodil Affair, Michael Innes

Dicrostonyx vinogradovi suggests

for the new water heater. I think maybe a McCarroll-March food-inspired appliance skirt would be more fabulous.
On second thought, I don't think I could cope with that much fabulousness first thing in the morning.


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: In Search of Dracula, Raymond T. McNally & Radu Florescu

Merry Christmas

Brunch at M's. Angry Lemming brought me, I brought cheese, Confused Cricket brought apples & soy sausage, M made spinach quiche and bread pudding. And it was good. Very feasty. Chatted with K&S - they seem to have had a pretty good Christmas. :) AL kicked ass at the Scrabbling, and there was more bread pudding.

Interlude at the Dancing Square. Photographs were taken. The floors came out great, and the walls are a pleasant shade of white. There was a diminishment of objet in the back yard.

Stop on Treasure Island. Dude, excellent view. It was all pink & sunsetish, too.

Dinner at Empress of China: properly made food, with prices pegged to the view & decor. Lots of peacock feathers and a lovely clear look at Coit Tower. Must go back and sit in the bar sometime.


Today's earrings: frogs, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Christmas at Candleshoe, Michael Innes

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dude, excellent feasting.


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Hogfather, Terry Pratchett

Friday.

I'm for it.


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman

untested recipe

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/107437


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: The Great War and Modern Memory, Paul Fussell