MetaChat - Monday 3-point update

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31 August 2009

Monday 3-point update →[More:]
1. It's been a long weekend here, the last holiday weekend of the year, until Christmas. It always seems as if autumn begins tomorrow. Not that I mind, I love the autumn.

2. Today, using the last of my birthday gift vouchers, I bought the most adorable little 3/4-length coat, lightweight and so cute. It'll be perfect for my trip to NY in a month's time. The frilled collar also wraps flat around the neckline if it's cold out.

3. I finally put up a profile on OKCupid. I probably come over as way too picky, but I can't see any point in wasting time on people who I know will not be right for me. Let's see who responds, if anyone. My dating life starts here! I will, of course, keep you guys posted ...

post by: essexjan at: 13:01 | 42 comments

1. work
2. work
3. work

posted by lysdexic 31 August | 13:25

1. disconnected
2. neglected
3. dejected

posted by Wolfdog 31 August | 13:31

1. Wolfdog
2. took
3. mine

posted by JanetLand 31 August | 13:35

1. Sheriff's sale scheduled for one of the rentals we have in foreclosure, which gives us a hard deadline for filing bankruptcy (9 months after first talking to the attorney!).

2. Nursing home not getting paid by insurance or Medicare anymore, so they need us to put in a Medicaid application, which will be denied due to the assets my dad failed to protect from this eventuality. Now we hope to put him in an assisted living memory care facility, which just might be paid for by his long-term-care insurance and Social Security, but then it's unclear how my mom can pay her way out of the bankruptcy. *sigh*

3. 15-mile bike ride today up some major hills and out on state and county highways. Glad it has warmed up a bit, I thought we may have jumped all the way to October weather.

posted by dhartung 31 August | 13:43

work
work
wo..food!

posted by special-k 31 August | 13:59

1. verge of
2. nervous
3. breakdown

posted by desjardins 31 August | 14:16

Decent Monday. Ron came into the office and every other word was the f word, which got my boss and I f wording it up all day. Someone we helped brought in some delicious, delicious curry! Also I met someone important/well known at the end of the day and f-ed right off out of there after my job was done :)

posted by By the Grace of God 31 August | 14:21

Trying to FIND a normal life.
Trying to find a NORMAL life.
Trying to find a normal LIFE.

posted by Ardiril 31 August | 14:22

1. Was, but am no longer, grumpy.
2. I love having a nutritionist on staff to consult with. For free. She's so great at helping brainstorm inexpensive, healthy snacks for the group of teens I work with.
3. It's normally hot in my office no matter the season. Today, however, it's unseasonably cool outside, and I've had to put on a sweater. And my feet are cold. It's a soup day. In August. In the south. Wild.

posted by Stewriffic 31 August | 14:43

1. Went up and took daughter and gf out for daughter's bday (which is tuesday). It was OK. . daughter still does not have a job and the gf is a bit, um, bought in to the hard economy, few jobs, etc., instead of encouraging her to get off her ass. Other than that, they seem to be happy together.

2. Wife is starting a fast. . .since I'm the cook in the fam, it means eating on my own, which is good and bad but I can have stuff for a few days that she hates, usually.

3. NYC in less than a month. . .yikes!

posted by danf 31 August | 15:03

1. The entire city of L.A. smells like a campfire. I have friends and family very near the La Canada fire -- I saw the mountain burning from my sister-in-law's front yard on Thursday night-- but luckily they didn't have to evacuate.

2. Because deadlines are completely disregarded by most of the people who I work with, I am now frantically editing the scripts for a series of multimedia installations for an exhibition that opens in nine days. They were due to me in APRIL. I received them this past FRIDAY. grrr.

3. Can't think of number 3.

posted by scody 31 August | 15:06

1. I'm significantly happier today than last night because I am married to a totally awesome dude. If I told you why I was depressed, I'd have to jump off a building.

2. My mother called just now and demanded that I order her Lobster Bisque again TODAY from this place because she gave birth to me. (I send it on their anniversary, we're New Englander stock and Lobster Bisque is very important). 6 Quarts are on their way to be delivered Friday.

3. The day is almost over... and Leon is getting larger.

posted by eatdonuts 31 August | 15:13

and Leon is getting larger

ahahahaha, thanks! I love that scene.

posted by scody 31 August | 15:14

1. The entire city of L.A. smells like a campfire.

One of my wife's (who grew up in Sunland) school friends still lives in Tujunga. . .she does not have a phone, so no way of getting ahold of her but her house seems to be less than a mile from the evac area, as of today.

It must be horrible. . .my brother says that there is ash falling on downtown.

posted by danf 31 August | 15:15

You can order Lobster Bisque by mail? NEED.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 August | 15:16

1> First day of kindergarten for my youngest. He's had a few developmental delays and we're, perhaps crazily, sending him to french immersion school, so it's a bit more stressful than usual. But I just saw some pictures our neighbor took of him getting on the bus and he looks like such a little man...dang, I think I have something in my eye....

posted by danostuporstar 31 August | 15:17

It must be horrible. . .my brother says that there is ash falling on downtown.

Yep, ash and haze all over. I drove through Hollywood this morning and could barely see the top of the Capitol Records building. My sister's in Pasadena and says there's just an orange haze over everything.

posted by scody 31 August | 15:18

1. Went home early today; nasty cold. I look at the sweat on my arms and say, die, you nasty rhino germs, die!

2. Might go camping next month for the first time in a million years.

3. Yo, baby boomers, in case you're wondering why we gen-xers aren't saving money and traveling and helping you as you age and all that other good stuff the way you did with your parents, it's because WE HAVE TO SPEND HALF OUR INCOME ON HOUSING, something you never had to worry about. Ok, so there's the cell phone too. And cable TV. And GPS devices. And...

posted by Melismata 31 August | 15:26

1. Visa extension approved! Here for another year!

2. New flat! It's got a tub - not the original claw-foot tub flat, but it's a great location and super-central and

3. Friends friends friends: seeing super-awesome friend tomorrow for lunch, another friend helping me move stuff in the afternoon!

3+! MOM ARRIVES WEDNESDAY FOR OUR TWO WEEK TOUR OF POLAND! This will be the first time I will have been visited while abroad by a family member since I started this crazy life in 2006!

posted by mdonley 31 August | 16:14

1. Being back at work is really hard and my phone is broken and no one has come to fix it all day.
2. Going out for dinner tonight with 2 of my favorite counselor friends from camp.
3. So happy to see my bunny again, have to figure out why he is shedding so much right now. I hope it's just nerves and that he'll quit it soon. I looked like a cottonball after cuddling him this morning and had to change shirts before work.

posted by rmless2 31 August | 16:32

1.ouch
2.quit it!
3. ow!

posted by Dejah 31 August | 16:57

1. Out of sorts. Partner didn't get as many hours as he did this time last year. Make myself sick looking up foreclosures in the neighborhood, online. Sick of sunlight, bring on 6 months straight of rain please.
2. Oven drying tomatoes from the garden to make tomato confit. If I had bought these tomatoes instead of growing them it'd be hundreds of dollars worth of tomatoes and I'd not allow myself to waste so much of them by drying them out.
3. I'm taking care of seemingly stupid things that contribute to my constant low level anxiety. I hope it helps.
+ I love these cats a stupid lot.

posted by birdie 31 August | 16:57

1. Finally re-installed the window in the first floor powder room yesterday. I'm pretty happy with how the restoration turned out, hopefully it has another hundred years of life in it.

2. Biked to work today. My son did a tune-up on it yesterday, straightened the wheels out and adjusted the shifters.

3. Going to California this weekend for a wedding. Not the part that's on fire, we'll be up in Calistoga.

posted by octothorpe 31 August | 17:00

2. My mother called just now and demanded that I order her Lobster Bisque again TODAY from this place because she gave birth to me. (I send it on their anniversary, we're New Englander stock and Lobster Bisque is very important). 6 Quarts are on their way to be delivered Friday.

Since she asks for it I'm assuming it's delicious? Chowder and bisque from the internet to my door kind of just made the internet even more super awesome for me.

posted by birdie 31 August | 17:02

1. Had a nice *~official~* chat with my boss today about the school shenanigans that were going on. It wasn't pleasant, but I was wearing my good jeans and cozy sweater, so I was prepared for badassery. He consistently surprises me by telling me just how awesome I am. (I'm quite used to being the epic fuckup.)

2. I can tell the school year has started since we've already gotten quite a few more requests than normal, we've had someone already confuse us with ILL, but we haven't yet received the 'OMG I NEEDED THIS BOOK YESTERDAY' email. That should happen in about a week or so. I'm a bit saddened by the fact that I'm not starting school too.
Backstory: UMD attempted to attach strings, I told them I needed time to think, Drexel turned me down and when I went back to UMD they told me I had no other choice but to defer my application until the spring and that I might not get in then either. Plan Q (I think) is to apply to Wayne State for the winter start since they're all online and don't require recommendations.

3. My homie has gotten me hooked on roasted chicken. (I visited her this weekend and we picked one up for lunch with some steamed rice and veggies at a passing attempt at trying to eat somewhat healthily.) I must now: a) find a grocery store near me that has them in flavors (Her store had 5! I never knew they came in flavors before!), b) find out how to make them on my own because I'm sure that's cheaper than buying them, and c) find out what to do with the soon-to-be carcass in my fridge when I impulse purchased one down here yesterday when I really only needed lettuce, fruit, and milk.

posted by sperose 31 August | 17:06

1. It's been a nice cool day (75 degrees F), but it's so damn HUMID I had to turn the AC on anyway. Literally, the wooden furniture in our house felt wet to the touch. Ugh. Hoping the week will dry out a bit.

2. Rode home from work today with LastFM streaming in my headphones. Sometimes living in the future rocks.

3. It looks like I'm going to be able to take Labor Day off after thinking I wouldn't be able to. Not counting on it yet, but... w00t.

posted by BoringPostcards 31 August | 17:14

For those of you whom have inquired about Maine Lobster Direct.

1. The shipping is overnight and minimum order is $100.
2. You can order live Maine lobsters and it all comes packed perfectly, alive and in dry ice.
3. The lobster bisque is authentic New England bisque, very rich and out of this world ... so is the cheese cake.
4. If you don't know how to cook Maine lobster, they have precooked lobster that is wonderful.
5. I've never had the clam chowder but my mother has and says it's delicious.
6. Don't order the clams unless you know how to cook them, they are excellent and the precooked shrimp is amazing.
4. For four years now I've ordered this for mother's day and it's amazing and comes with all the utensils you need. It comes complete with four live lobsters and you can switch out either the bisque for the chowder and the shimp for the clams. It's a lot of food. Have hungry people.
5. I am from coastal New England and my grandfather was a lobster fisherman for a time. These are the only credentials I offer. But I can shuck a lobster like a motherfecker.

posted by eatdonuts 31 August | 19:28

Oh! And I should add, you can freeze this lobster bisque for up to 5 months so if you do what I did today: order 6 quarts of the lobster bisque and 4 slices of cheese cake, you will be very happy for a long time.

posted by eatdonuts 31 August | 19:31

Birde, how do you oven drying tomatoes from the garden to make tomato confit? I'd love to do that!

posted by eatdonuts 31 August | 19:35

1. Feeling oddly wheezy. I wonder if I'm allergic to something.
2. Still getting thank-you emails about a party I organized last week. That feels nice.
3. I love eggplant.

posted by tangerine 31 August | 19:40

1. Windows open; after days of hot, humid weather it's gorgeous, in the 70's.

2. Must lock my white cat up, so he doesn't claw through yet another repaired screen to make his escape outside. I only lock him up (in a largeish small animal carrier) at night when I can't watch him.

3. What to do tomorrow?

posted by redvixen 31 August | 19:55

1. Bathroom hazmat cleanup went great. New flooring is so awesome it even makes the beige fixtures look good. Like, totally on purpose good.

2. Went for a couple long walks while staying at the motel including all the way around Mill Lake.

3. Went for a couple long-ish drives while staying at the motel. Saw geese flying, in August. I wonder what that bodes for Winter.

posted by deborah 31 August | 20:13

Tomato confit!

I'm skipping the vinegar bath and the water bath canning 'cos I'm just going to refrigerate it and gobble it up quickly. Though my paranoia wouldn't let me can it anyway. GARLIC AND OIL? Hell no, I'm not being that risky with botulism, I don't care how much vinegar there is in the world.

posted by birdie 31 August | 20:20

1. MY BACK! It is starting to feel so much better, after wrenching it last week.

2. He's back! My older son went to Chicago to visit is imaginary girlfriend (i.e., a girl he met online). They got along famously. I'm hoping it is a turning point for him; he has had no passionate cause to motivate him. I hope she is it. Anyway, he got back home tonight.

3. He's back! (To school.) The youngest Doohickie has started his college career. His first week was marked by (a sub-three-point-update):
. A. A secret admirer.
. b. A free ticket to Bass Hall to see the Fort Worth Symphony perform Beethoven.
. 3. Landing a part-time job in his major (music)- he was hired by a hoity-toity church to help fill out their choir. He'll be making a pretty decent wage for one practice a week and singing at two services on Sunday mornings.

posted by Doohickie 31 August | 21:27

2. Today, using the last of my birthday gift vouchers, I bought the most adorable little 3/4-length coat,

Pics or you didn't buy it, Jan!

posted by Doohickie 31 August | 21:29

1. I seem to have a boy! Well, kindof. I've spent the last four months boring everyone in #bunnies about him, but he's lovely. We're not official, but it seems to be progressing to that. I call him Mohawk, but not to his face. We have a date on Friday which I'm looking forward to.
2. Had a great weekend, saw a friends gig, which I dragged Mohawk too. It was good introducing him to the friends. Also snuggling on the couch might have been involved. Also saw a play that a friend performed in, and had a party at the friend who played on friday's house. It was lovely.
3. I have donated my body to science, or offered to let gosh feel me up, and practice her new massage techniques on me. How hard my life is.

Oh and 4. I had the writers festval last week and went with work to the publishing sessions. It was really inspiring. I feel like I've found my niche.

posted by jonathanstrange 31 August | 23:05

1. Coasting on that somewhat virtuous have-just-cleaned-and-reorganized-the-apartment-and-washed-all-the-clothes-and-bedding feeling.

2. Vacation last week was a thoroughly mixed blessing. Beautiful clear weather; hot and muggy as a sauna in hell. Spending time with the family I love; fighting or walking on eggshells for more than half of that time. Eighteen-month-old nephew... well, apart from grumpiness from teething his canines, he was pretty close to being completely perfect and cheered everybody up.

3. New glasses arrive this week, meaning that I will be able to see properly for the first time in over a year (I had been rationing my last pack of disposable contacts for the opera and weddings) and I will look more like my geeky inner self again. They're pretty close to the thick-framed square pair I wore throughout high school, only thicker and square-er. Cannot wait.

posted by notquitemaryann 31 August | 23:14

1. A long day, but not a bad one.

2. Several hours worth of work still to do.

3. Surprisingly okay with #2.

posted by faineant 01 September | 00:13

2. Today, using the last of my birthday gift vouchers, I bought the most adorable little 3/4-length coat,

Pics or you didn't buy it, Jan!
posted by Doohickie 31 August | 21:29

Er, there's a link to a pic in my post, Doohickie.

posted by essexjan 01 September | 11:28

1. the daughter went back to Uni today and I feel lost.....
2. we had the most incredible 5 hour chat yesterday as the result of an AskMe on the green about the difficulties of growing up with an Aspie parent that was the most powerful and positive talk we've ever had, and man, we are close!
3. I am so proud of this young woman and how she's living her life (she recently got her driving licence on her first attempt) but gosh, letting go is sooooo hard!

posted by Wilder 01 September | 12:54

tee-heee,! just realised I'm a day late. I call it bankholidayitis!

posted by Wilder 01 September | 12:56

Er, there's a link to a pic in my post, Doohickie.

No, that's insufficient. The pic must contain, you, the coat, and wearing.

posted by Doohickie 01 September | 18:19

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