I woke with a headache, saw a dead fox by the road (worst omen), and continue with moderate fortitude searching for more than circumstantial evidence of my own existence. Actually from that point of view the headache may be a good sign because it seems unlikely that a vague metaphysical construct could actually throb quite that much.

Last time I came back into the US - from England, as it happens - was from a conference, and I was traveling very light (a week's stay & I had just my bookbag on my back). They seemed to find this very suspicious and found someone to ask me math questions to make sure I wasn't just posing as a mathematician.

1. It's time to triage my bedroom and bathroom. I've been living in a pigsty for too long. Today's the big clean.

2. We have heavenly weather this morning. I've opened up the house to cool things off.

3. I'm going to be selling a high-quality but butt ugly and uncomfortable loveseat I bought 10 years ago when pressured into it by my mother. I'm not sure how to price it, though. It cost me $1000 at deep discount back then, and it for sure has serious name brand cred, but it's also a bit dingy (no longer white!) and the cushions lumpyish. We'll see.

1. I was awakened by my five-year-old. He was asking me to insert the Fantastic Four movie into the machine. The boys are now very content. Their commentary is amusing. "This is when he gets his fire power." "Do you actually know just how powerful he is?" Uh oh, they just ran out the room. They're scared when Thing turns into Thing.

2. I have an appointment today at the YMCA.

3. Last night my husband and I watched Gabrielle. It wasn't horrible, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it.

Have a Fantastic time in NY, essexjan! I know you will.

1. Dealing with some idiot's bullshit problem that wouldn't exist if said idiot wouldn't be such an idiot and would find something to do other than making bullshit problems.
2. Started a muxtape. I'll finish it just as soon as I'm done taking care of some idiot's bullshit problem.
3. Got free lunch today. Yeah!

Have a good time in NYC!

4. Uhh. I just noticed that the crotch of my jeans has a hole in it and one of my testicles is pushing through. I knew it was kind of threadbare down there but I thought I had a bit more time left before I crossed into "indecent exposure" territory. Good thing I wore underwear today.

1. Daughter is recovering from her twitterpation that was not to be.
2. Other daughter is recovering from her first Brazilian wax.
3. I'm recovering from the first part of the week. See #1.

1. I'm being held up at Boston International because my testicles flopped out due to the loss of friction after my first Brazilian wax.

2. The reason I had to get my Brazilian wax is that I contracted some sort of infection after sitting on a used loveseat I bought online because of it's name-brand cred.

3. The infection is also aggravated because of improper cleaning of my bathroom and my testicles are now swollen and orange, reminiscent of the armor-plate skin of the Thing from the Fantastic Four.

1. We stayed up til 2:00 a.m. for the All=Star game's extra innings, slept fitfully in an unfamilar bed (we were catsitting) before waking at 7:30. Oh, my head. My eyes. My lack of brain. This must be how zombies feel.

2. I must now go make a bucketful of espresso in which I shall duck my head.

3. My sister and I will be getting lunchtime take-away from Duckfat to eat on the grass overlooking the water. Ah, frites. Gee, I'm suddenly terribly hungry.

On preview: aaaaand now I'm less hungry.

1. Having a party on Friday evening. Therefore the next two evenings are busy as hell - clean, shop, etc.

2. Watched Death at a Funeral last night with my mom, older brother and auntie. Highly recommended! Hilarious. But there were poo jokes and sex jokes and I always have to fight the impulse to leap up and turn off the TV before my mother sees something she shouldn't. The woman is 81 years old, was married for 52 years and had three children and yet I'm afraid that sex jokes are going to shock her? She did her work too well.

3. I think that there has been a bear at the park where I walk my dogs. For the last two days something has been shredding bark off all the trees and leaving huge hunks of it around and the only animal I know who does that is a bear. Therefore I am feeling a little nervous and I really hope my dogs have enough sense not to tangle with a bear, but I am afraid that this hope is futile.

1. The water authority left a note on our door threatening to cut off our service but it turned out to be the wrong address. They said on the phone not to worry but they've already turned off our water by mistake before.

2. I've got a nice sun tan from last week in Seattle and Portland. The locals claim that it's normally not sunny there but I didn't see a single cloud the whole time.

3. Spent an hour and a half last night ripping weeds out of the flower garden and lawn. It's rained so much here this summer that the weeds have gone nuts.

1. I think my boss is chatting me up to his superiors. The way he's been chatting it sounds like goodness, but I'm super paranoia and this is not helping.

2. My dad wants me to go sit in a fucking paddleboat tonight so I can paint the dock and I really don't want to (which I've told him and have stalled as much as long as possible) and I think I'll be forced into it tonight.

3. I'm using special bandaids that I hope are going to completely destroy the wart that has been on my finger for the past 6 months. It's never hurt before but oh god, it hurts now whenever I touch it. (I banged it on a tray of books a few minutes ago.)

1. Haven't done much today, just laundry and movies.
2. Refusing to feel guilty about it; sometimes people who aren't working need a day off too.
3. Not thinking about job hunting.

Can you blame him? You ARE hot!

1. Three more days to a much-anticipated week off. w00t!

2. We're trying to keep the AC off at home as much as possible, thanks to YET ANOTHER rate increase from the power company. Haven't slept well in three days thanks to the humidity... I may have to give in and start turning it on again at night.

3. I'm famished, and it's still 35-40 minutes to lunch.

1) Angrier than I should be about Unison going on strike. I walk past them on a morning and I feel like shouting "Hey idiot. Living standards can go down as well as up. You're not helping anyone here. What say you we go back to a three day week? Is that what you want? You want to screw things up so badly we end up bringing Margaret Thatcher back"

2) I am not proud of these feelings.

3) My work machine keeps blue-screening. I suspect it's a fault caused by either hardware or software but I'm not sure how to narrow it down further.

1. Escalating tension with co-worker
2. After three weeks of meeting with the trainer once a week, hitting the gym four or five times a week total, and eating mroe fruits and veggies, I've gained two pounds. This is discouraging.
3. I have very. . .little. . .money until Friday. Electricity up 17% here and winter's natural gas is set to be 33% higher than last winter. I don't think it's endtime time, but is it time to become one of those people who don't trust banks and keep the money in the mattress? Somebody let me know, will ya? Thanks.


(hi ej!)

1. General nervous-energy stress about moving in... TWO DAYS. Yikes. I keep waking up way too early with my mind racing about all the shit that needs to get done and how I don't have time to do it all -- then I go to do it and it takes only about 1/4 as long as I thought it was going to. Which, stupidly, then leads me to feel more stressed out, because I feel stupid for having stressed out. Sigh.

2. Because I got up early this morning with racing thoughts and got everything done quicker than I thought I would, I have time to go to yoga this morning. Yay, yoga!

3. I saw the Dale Chihuly exhibit at the de Young Museum yesterday. I think I am Venetian at heart -- glass does not belong in a sealed-off museum, it belongs someplace where it can reflect the sunshine and water and look like it leaped right out of the lagoon and onto a chandelier. However, a lot of the installations were gorgeous.

1. My younger foster kid (the quiet crazy one as opposed to the loud crazy one) would not get up for her 10:20 DMV driving test this morning. This would have been her third try (she's failed twice before). She's in the shower now but if she makes me still take her we will be one hour late and they will not give the test. Then, she will be in bitch-fest mode for several days, and somehow I will be partly responsible.

2. My older foster kid is not a foster kid anymore. He officially "emancipated" yesterday -- the court closed his case -- and he is scheduled to move into transitional housing this month.

3. I joined an on-line dating service but I hate the whole thing and never even look at the profiles. I have a Bad Attitude.

The Dale Chihuly exhibit is on my list, too! I wish I'd know, I could have tagged along with you, occiblu!

1. My wattle is dying. Guess what! Australian desert trees don't do very well in pots in England. I'm lucky it lasted two years and three glorious fluffy yellow flowerings, really.

2. Angrier than I should be about Unison going on strike

By the time I could afford to join the union I was in management, and so I've always struggled with the massive debt I (we) owe to a labour movement I've never been an active participant in (beyond student unionism). I was really nervous this morning, I've never broken a picket line and thought I might have to, but there was no one there. Just three or four placards that had blown over in the wind. No one in my department struck, but the building was pretty empty (possibly coincidence - it is summer). I couldn't strike with a straight face anyway - I get pissed off with the Council for many, many things, but my remuneration certainly isn't one of them.

3. Sometimes being a girl sucks.

1. Mmmm... Peter Luger's (enjoy ej & jp!). I think I'll go over to Key Food and get some steaks for supper. Steak, baked potato, corn on the cob... (not Peter Luger's, for sure, but it'll do). *adds A1 sauce to grocery list*

2. I may take a page from my better half's playbook and sit on the porch and read for a bit. Then again, it's rather pleasant here in the sweet, sweet air conditioning (I'm something of an energy hog when it comes to air conditioning, as our $200+ con ed bill will attest to, but I can't help it; I'm prone to melting).

3. I'm considering a fried Spam on rye sandwich for lunch. (I don't eat Spam often, but I'm having a weird craving.)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Excellent, with a side order of fantastic.

1. I am flying to Korea tomorrow.
2. My immigration problems are solved! I've found a lawyer who is going to interface with the Bulgarian bureaucracy on my behalf, YES!!!
3. I just checked my bank account, and I have FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!!! How the hell did that happen? I have never had FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS before. Would you like to touch me? I bet you never met anyone with FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS, eh?

1. I can barely keep my eyes open. I think I might leave work early.

2. FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS, Meatbomb! Holy shit.

3. I too am jealous of Jan's trip to Luger's. mmmmm porterhouse and lager. and OMG the onion rings. And the onions and tomatoes. And the bread. And the creamed spinach...
::drool::

Meatbomb, your new rapper name is Fiddy G.

1. I awoke to an irritating and stressful text message

2. I went shopping on the weekend and got lots of good things - super cheap!

3. I've finally finished unpacking my room / setting it all up, and it's quite cozy in there. It isn't quite perfect yet, a few things to throw out, a few things to organise a little more, but it's beginning to feel like home.

1. I still have my job after all.

2. I still have my job after all.

3. Oh, and my job? I still have it.

OMG, tangerine! Yay!

1. Met a new butcher at work. He seems nice. I'm hoping one of the other butchers (the cranky one) won't corrupt him too quickly.

2. Mr. V's cancer medicine is making him tired. It's only 8 o'clock, and he's headed for bed.

3. Other than that, everything is going well, one of my favorite shows is on tv tonight, and I'm sipping a margarita.

1. Had a friend of our old tenant show up asking about the apartment. I had just begun the tearing-stuff-apart process. There's crappy smoke-grayed wallpaper in the kitchen, window trim still not put back after the double-pane windows installed years ago, and all sorts of little things like hand prints all up the wall by the stairs. Plus I'm dealing with a longstnading moisture problem in the basement -- not enough for a sump pump, but probably needs a permanent dehumidifier. It needs a lot of work still, but if they already know the place I guess they'll be happy with a less ambitious approach.

2. My dad saw his G.P., and she told him to cut out COMPLETELY all of the self-dosage of acetaminophen, antacid, anti-diarrheal, cough syrup, and a few other things that he's been pouring down his throat on top of his dozen PRESCRIBED meds.

2a. He goes to court tomorrow for when he wrecked the van, still seems to think that he can get his license back because he didn't do anything wrong. Yet the doctor told him she couldn't answer the DMV medical questionnaire in such a way that they wouldn't take his license away anyway. He counterargued that he drove the family across the country -- years ago -- so this means he must be an excellent driver.

3. Fry (my kitty) has discovered a new way to be cute -- curling up in the bottom of a five-gallon work bucket. He's just over a year old now.

1. I've got a baby monarch caterpillar! They gave them to the kids at my daughter's environmental science camp. He eats a lot of milkweed leaves and shits a lot. She named him "Amigo" because monarchs are from Mexico and because she thinks it will be fun to say, "Adios, Amigo!" when he turns into a butterfly and we set him free.

2. I'm pissed off at the NP at my doctor's office because she tried to sell me some MLM snake oil detox stuff. Apparently it cures everything, including all the maladies listed on my chart for just a few hundred dollars for a one month supply. It feels like such a massive breech of ethics to me.

3. Project Runway is on RIGHT NOW!

1. Peter Luger's was wonderful. Bacon to start, followed by steak for two, German fried potatoes and creamed spinach, and chocolate chip and coffee ice cream with schlag for dessert. Mmmm .... it was sublime.

2. Afterwards we waddled round Williamsburg for a while. I am not a hipster, but it was fun to observe this species. And we saw a cool little band playing Hava Nagilah in a park - trombone, accordion, percussion.

3. Occhiblu, I saw the Dale Chilhuly sculptures at Kew Gardens a few years ago and they were awesome. You had to look twice at some of them before deciding if they were exotic plants or glass. They so belong in an organic setting, not a museum. I also love the Chilhuly 'jellyfish' ceiling at the Bellagio.

Yay, tangerine!!!

Furk dhartung, whatta situation.

Heee jrossi4r -- Adios, amigo! -- it IS fun!!!

essexjan, I'm jealous. Of all the photos on his website, Chihuly's Kew Gardens installation grabs me the most. (I had one of the photos as my desktop for a while, actually.) It does seem like the perfect setting for his work.