New shoes!

I was on my way to the store after work when I decided I needed new shoes more than groceries. I got off the cable car at Grant, collected three pair of velvet mary janes, and, since I was there and all, had dim sum for dinner. On the way home I passed the time of day with a saxophone player at Grant and Post, and passed a Chinese violin player at Market and Ellis who was playing something that sounded a whole lot like "Red River Valley." As I got closer to home I was noticing the bougainvillea in the planters in the plaza, thinking about other places I've lived, with and without bougainvillea. Bougainvillea is important.

Waiting in the mailbox at home: jury summons.


Today's earrings: deer, buffalo

Bedtime reading: Come to Dust, Emma Lathen

The Day of the Superb Owl

M & I toured Ikea contrary-wise, and I came away with

- the velvet cushion I'm sitting on right now
- a spatter guard for my pots and pans
- an ice cream scoop
- wildlife cookie-cutters (some Russians tried to hijack them out of our cart while we were looking for a bundt pan, but gave them back as soon as M showed them where to find more)
- a shelflet for my bathroom cabinet
- an upper cabinet to fill the blank spot in my kitchen

Thanks, everybody! It was exactly what I wanted. :)


Today's earrings: turtles, teapots

Bedtime reading: Murder Against the Grain, Emma Lathen

Par-tay!

Turns out, we'd have had to be accompanied by an Elk, and the one I know had other plans for the evening. :(

So! We went to Plan B, which involved meeting at my place for wine and cheese. Then we went to Plan C, the Indian restaurant on the corner that we hadn't tried yet. I believe that may become our default Indian restaurant. After, we went to the food court at the mall for cupcakes.

Present haul: S4 of Supernatural (the good season, with Mischa Collins), a pretty blue scarf, and considerable future haulage from Ikea. Thanks, guys!


Today's earrings: octopi, trees

Bedtime reading: Murder Against the Grain, Emma Lathen

How much is six times nine?

I got my first HOA meeting notice. In the same envelope was a handy little self-nomination form, in case I wanted to be on the board.

Maybe next year.


Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: Murder Against the Grain, Emma Lathen

First, catch your...

The Basic Plan: 6pm Friday at the Elks.
Plan with Frills: we congregate at my place beforehand.
Plan B: we go get dim sum.
Sound good?

Random path-crossings this morning: a current neighbor, the Singhs. Sylvia actually came up with my name on the fly.
This evening: a woman I used to see on the bus before I moved.


Today's earrings: gingerbread men, rabbits

Bedtime reading: Murder Against the Grain, Emma Lathen

Shiny Candlemas!

Today I went out and got myself an ironing board, and an iron to go with it. Each day I creep closer to orthodoxy...


Today's earrings: rockets, brooms

Bedtime reading: Murder Against the Grain, Emma Lathen

A-ha!

http://www.asylum.com/2010/01/29/westboro-baptist-church-protests-gets-protested-outside-twitter/
I though they'd been in town - when I got back from the endontologist Friday, there was residual police presence and everyone was telling me about what sounded like a WBC counter-protest.

And I missed it.


Today's earrings: sand dollars, olive shells

Bedtime reading: Murder Against the Grain, Emma Lathen

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

Strategery 2-nite!

Times like these, I wish you all watched Survivor. There was strategy and counter-strategy and what I think will turn out to be a Pyrrhic victory... definitely an E Ticket.


Today's earrings: bees, typewriter keys

Bedtime reading: Ashes to Ashes, Emma Lathen

Finally!

I'm sure he's probably a nice enough guy when he's not sleep-deprived and having cameras constantly stuck in his face, but I am glad Ricky is gone from my television.


Today's earrings: camels, lizards

Bedtime reading: Ashes to Ashes, Emma Lathen

Shoo-fly pie

http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/shoofly.html


Today's earrings: flies, brown glass beads

Bedtime reading: Sweet and Low, Emma Lathen

No Survivor tonight...

So I'm a little at loose ends. Thinking about this past season:

- The Have/Have Not split at the beginning was not fun, not cute, not good. Boo. Hiss.
- Hated the totally unfair twist that got Michelle voted out before her time. Hated it. Still annoyed with Yau Man for not throwing that challenge & voting out Edgardo.
- Loved the episodes where the Pony Boys tried to do the ultra-slick strategery and got completely blindsided. The falling faces... too marvelous for words.
- Kinda weirded out that the part I liked so much was only possible because of the part I hated so much.
- Glad Earl won. I'd have been good with Yau Man or Cassandra winning, too. Or even "Dreamz," if he'd had the wit to change his tune completely at the final TC. He should've dropped the "pity poor unfortunate me" refrain and gone to, "I was conning you from day one! I suckered you completely! I own you fools! *evil laughter*" He might have gotten some votes from the testosterone club. Cassandra should have changed her mode of presentation as well, but let's be real. Four of that jury would never vote for a girl, one (quitter) would never vote for "unprepared" Cassandra, and two were voting for Earl no matter what happened. I think Boo was pretty well set on voting for Earl, too. Cassandra could have given the most persuasive speech since Demosthenes and still only gotten Stacy's vote.


Today's earrings: little flowers K gave me, brass triangles K brought me from Greece

Bedtime reading: When in Greece, Emma Lathen

Swamp

I thought "Dreamz" might have more game than I'd realized when he voted for Michelle. that vote made an opening in the People I Like Alliance; without her, they'd need another vote. It kept the Smug Jackass Alliance sure of their dominance, and they still thought they were controlling him. Voting out Michelle, emotionally unsatisfying as it was for me, opened the most doors for Dreamz strategically with the smallest cost. All he had to do was smooth over Mookie after TC, then either work toward a f5 made up of the SJA+Cassandra, or join the PILA+Boo for f5. And he had another three days to pick a side.

Instead, he gave this week's performance... so little insight, so little self-control. He systematically betrayed everyone he'd ever spoken to, and did it so clumsily that everyone out there knows exactly what he'd done. And all because Mookie said out loud that he was angry that Dre had lied to him. I think Dre may be voted out 7-1 next week.

But it was extremely satisfying to watch the smug, smug faces fall, one by one. :)


Today's earrings: dragonflies, articulated alligators

Bedtime reading: Brewing Up a Storm, Emma Lathen