Blood in my eye

This showed up mid-afternoon. Google tells me that I probably sneezed too hard and it'll go away in a week or two.

I hope Google is right.

Today's earrings: amethysts

Bedtime reading: Old Man's War, John Scalzi

Zombie Apocalypse!

They were shambling down Market Street this morning, spattered with blood and intermittently moaning.

It was awesome.

Psst. Pass it on.

Today's earrings: cups, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Thud!, Terry Pratchett

Songs of the season

"Long Black Veil," Lefty Frizzell
"Call me the Breeze," Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Blood Makes Noise," Suzanne Vega
"Reservoir Park," The Dutchess and the Duke

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

Minty!

Right before I went on vacation, I ordered a bunch of books from Amazon. I got back and there they all were... except Joanna Russ's How to Suppress Women's Writing. I thought that was kind of funny, actually, for the first week. Then the bookseller emailed me to ask for feedback on their wares, and I asked them to start a trace for the package. Instead, they refered me to Amazon customer service. I asked them to start a trace. Instead they said they were very sorry and reversed the charge to my debit card. OK, whatever. I ordered another copy, which arrived in good time.

Today the first copy arrived. It was described by the seller as being in "very good" condition. It should have been described as "ex-library (good)." The binding's in fine shape, but there's a card pocket inside, the back cover looks to have rested on a damp surface at some point in the distant past, and it reeks eye-wateringly of peppermint. (The peppermint stench is a new one on me. WTF?)

So now I'm not sure what to do. Or, rather, I know I need to contact Amazon and tell them I've got the book, but should I be trying to send it back, or keep it? And if so, should I be trying for a discount on the grounds of the misclassified condition? Decisions, decisions.

Spelling Bee!

Spelling Bee Dude said "ma-ook-a," and I was like, "huh?" until he said it meant "toward the mountains," at which point I was all, "oh, mauka." Then Spelling Bee Dude said it had no other pronunciations. And I'm all "What!?" Dad said it with two syllables. He even was a native-ish speaker, unlike Spelling Bee Dude. hmph.


Today's earrings: turtles, trees

Bedtime reading: Dragon's Claw, Peter O'Donnell