California has obviously made me forget the more inside button. . .hope please!

1. Squee! Got a new kitten - we'd been hearing mewling under the house for weeks. This one wandered in to the kitchen Saturday. She's a calico, about four weeks old, and feisty.

2. Bad News: she has a hole the size of a dime on her back, draining like mad.

3. Good News: fixing her up came in under my financial cut off. Way back when I'd have done anything for a critter but I can't be that way anymore. That makes me sad.

1. Got to be square in the middle of a work clusterfuck today. (It wasn't my fault but I made the mistake of answering the phone and so I had to deal with it.) Luckily, I was able to solve the problem (someone had dropped the DPI on our scanner from 200 to 50!) but we still had to send out our hard copies because the main person didn't want us to handle it in our ghetto way since we don't have real Adobe out here.

2. I moved on to combination #2 in my Killer Ziller DVD and am halfway okay at it, which is awesome. (There's 4 of them and they get progressively harder.) I needed a bit of a pickmeup after the disaster and freakout that was last week's first intermediate class. (There's only 4 students and 2 of them want to do lots of improv stuff, which is basically torture for me.)

3. There was an email this morning advertising a bunch of awesome looking paid internships at the Smithsonian over the summer and I'm tempted to throw my hat in the ring since I have enough vacation time that I could still draw my normal salary (plus whatever stipend I'd end up with) and I got my eportfolio back from InfoProf (since it's already been graded for InfoTech) and I got a perfect on it so I'm all pleased with myself academically, even if I only have mid-level Bs in my two classes.

funny, California is totally about the [more inside] to me... luring you in "below the fold" and then, WHAM!

(1) Weekend ruined by kitchen breakdowns... countertop convection/taster oven with touch-panel controls dead - replacing it with one with dials... refrigerator's freezer stopped freezing again, thought it was for good, but last night it sprung back to life; so I'm making lots of ice but crossing most frozen foods off shopping list - I should be eating more fresh anyway.

(2) This town (San Luis Obispo) continues to amaze me for some of the creative stuff that originated here... the Frisbee, Gumby, the company that did the iPad teardown and now Jamba Juice (celebrating its 20th anniversary, but not doing well recently)! I wish I were as creative as some of the local entrepreneurs...

(3) Next writing assignment is about a certain 88-year-old TV celebrity... research finding way too much interesting stuff... TV debut co-hosting a local chat show that ran 5-and-a-half-hours 6 days a week? Way back in the days when there were no reruns to fill time yet, but holey schmoley!

1) I'm a little worried that I've lost the capacity to be at work when it's sunny out. It's kinda scary...I just want to be OUTSIDE, not sitting in a cube.

2) Really looking forward to Friday, because I'm heading to Toronto to see Heavy Trash at the Horseshoe. One of my favourite bars ever, and a band that is FANTASTIC live. Saw then once up here with The Sadies backing them. Jon Spencer is one of the world's GREAT front men.

3) Looks like I'm going to drive my friends down to Toronto again on Wednesday...they might be able to fly into Budapest by the looks of it, and catch up with their tour! This is a lot of driving to Toronto of late.

1. Partner's grandma died on Saturday after a heart attack on Wednesday or Thursday -- oddly, right as they were preparing to discharge her. She went exactly as she wanted: here one minute and gone the next (literally, a nurse went to the nursing station, and when she came back she was gone), and not experiencing any of the horrible years in a vegetative state that her siblings had gone through.

He lived with her for three or four years after high school, so they were pretty close. (She let his punk band practice in the basement!) We saw her a month ago, and part of me thinks that was one of the things that probably made her feel like things were okay for her to leave. He's really glad that she got to be in control.

So... yes, it's sad, but we've been telling wonderful stories. And we're going to see lots of his family members and friends. It makes me feel really special that we'll be able to spend time together like this, and that he gets to show them how he's doing so well.

2. That also includes seeing his dad, who was never really his dad and he hasn't seen in years. Like, last at his mom's funeral in 2008, and the time before that was several years earlier, as he was filling up his gas tank and saw his dad getting loaded into a police car for driving without a license. Um... yeah.

3. I have reeeeeally got to finish the socks I'm knitting :P

1. registered for fall classes. Dickens and Dostoevsky author seminars, a class on the "heroes and heroines of American literature," and my undergrad honors thesis. Turned out that, because of my aid/grant situation, going for a full semester in the fall was less $ than just two summer classes. After that I'm taking a semester off, and starting grad school in the fall. (since the school I want doesn't do spring admissions)

2. I believe I'll do my thesis on Joyce's depiction of women in Ulysses. Yes, I'm insane.

3. need to decide on lunch.

Two GRARS two YAYS

1. Went to the unemployment office this morning. Have to go back tomorrow morning. Five years ago it was easy to get unemployment: do the whole thing online, no hassles, no crap, no stupid video training. Now - when way more people need it - they have made it all into a royal PITA. Grar.

2. Phone charger vanished into another dimension. Suspect new friend because he is a cable kinda guy - "Hey, a charger! With a cable! Must be mine! Toss in laptop bag with 1000 others!" - but he swears not. Things do wormhole out of existence, gods know. So had to buy a new one. Grar.

3. Brother is buying house next door to auntie's, huge weight off everybody's shoulders. Sellers went down to appropriate price, turn out to be cool people, all going smoothly. Yay!

4. Django's ears are actually getting better and maybe once they're totally clear of the yeast the whole long ear saga - which involved switching vets, hundreds if not thousands of dollars, etc - will be finally over. Yay!

I have reeeeeally got to finish the socks I'm knitting :P

Mmmm, love hand-knitted socks.

1. Finished sewn/knitted combo sweater. It was supposed to be a jacket, but I'm not that short. This has launched me on a sewing binge to finally tackle some of the 14 sewing projects that have been piling up over the years in my limited home space. A Very. Good. Thing.

2. Signed up to get text messages on the progress of friend who was running in the Boston Marathon. Only got 2 of the 8 or so promised checkpoint texts. Ah, technology.

3. There are things I can't do, and there are things I can't conceive of doing. For example, I can't play basketball, but I can conceive of how it might be done. I cannot conceive of running a marathon.

1. I'm in New York, in an apartment I've rented on 35th St & Park. I have two bedrooms, a big living room, a kitchen that's about the same size as mine at home, a bathroom that's bigger than mine at home, high ceilings, wooden floors, period furniture, free wifi, cable TV and a city full of friends. The apartment is cheaper than a hotel.

2. It was sad leaving Ohio - I know I say this every time, but this time I really don't think I'll ever seen Bernard, George's stepdad, again. He's 95 and is now very, very frail.

3. I am not going to worry about this damn volcano thing until I'm actually told I can't fly home on Thursday. Instead I'm going to have fun in the city.

Oh, I have a fireplace too!

1. Leave Denver today for KS.
2.Considering if I should cancel plane ticket from KC in a few weeks and come home by train. I know the ash cloud from Krakatoa affected the whole world.
3. I had a good time at the Denver Meetup.

1. My neck hurts like a sonofabitch, but I don't notice it so much as I might because I'm preoccupied with springtime allergies.
2. I'm stuck for days trying to solve a problem I know ought to be easy. There's nothing quite like the taste of prolonged failure at childishly simple tasks.
3. I keep getting ditched, dissed, overlooked and ignored in various exciting permutations; if Nature is trying to tell me how boring and repulsive I am, I've got the message, give me a break already and at least stop getting my hopes up.

1. Yesterday I went to the beach.
2. It was cool and cloudy at the beach, but enough sun so that my face is a little pink today.
3. While at the beach, I rode something very much like one of these. Bitchin'.

Squee! Got a new kitten

1. waiting for lysdexic to post pics
2. still waiting
3. need kitten photos

1. Melismata, I don't get the marathon thing either. I can tell you that a marathoner I work with told me this: "Just don't stop." I don't get it, because, you know, my spleen could fall out, but as a mentality, I can see the appeal.

2. Fated to pretend.

3. Dentist, check. Eyes, check. Follow up blood work, Wednesday AM.

1. First day of work with my immediate manager on vacation. The atmosphere was blissful, to say the least. It's amazing how well things can run when people are allowed to DO THEIR JOBS, one thing at a time, no interruptions!!!

2. Dinner with BlueEyes tomorrow night. Spent the weekend with him. Met the last of his siblings I had not yet met; liked them too! So far, his whole family likes me - and I like them. Win-win.

3. I was asked to help a friend with HER daughter's school project. Turns out that after my friend volunteered to do something that seemed simple, it wasn't and she needs my creative input. Must get off my butt and go do it!

1. I'm girding my loins to do my quarterly tax statement for my business
2. But mostly I'm avoiding doing the tax by being online and gaming
3. I don't get car or sea-sick but apparently I do get motion-sick from playing first person shooters on a widescreen 24 inch monitor. Whooooeee...that's not a good feeling when your breakfast wants to pop up and say hi.

1. Watched Julie & Julia. It was cute. Agree with everyone that said a film of just Julia would be awesome.

2. Had rice krispie treats for lunch whilst watching J&J.

3. I'm hungry and it's too close to dinner to really eat anything.

1. had an EXCELLENT story meeting filled with good news and plans and ideas

2. I WALKED from Wall St. to the UWS. Midtown is the only hard part ...so many people.

3. Gave my local bartender leftover risotto, planning to devour a whole chicken.

3. I am not going to worry about this damn volcano thing until I'm actually told I can't fly home on Thursday. Instead I'm going to have fun in the city.

OBSCENELY LUCKY YOU ARE.

1. Left work early because I didn't feel well.

2. Took a nap and felt better.

3. Went for my personal training session and pretty much had to stop in the middle because I was sick to my stomach. Embarassing.

i ate one of these:
≡ Click to see image ≡
today at this place. It was good. Then I drank some beer.

1. Dinner with TrishaLynn at this place. It was really good and very reasonable.

2. I have a breakfast date tomorrow with a Wall St financier. Last time we had breakfast we went to the Sherry-Netherland, on his buck ("Your usual table, sir?"). This time it's my treat. I suspect a diner will feature in our breakfast.

3. I have a skylight!

The apartment is cheaper than a hotel.

How did you find it, Jan?

(I am really glad for you. I really don't know any LA bunnies. . .well I'd love to meet scody but she is really not around anymore and wasn't sure if it was mutual.)

Hmmm....

I'll pass.

1. Run today felt good. I am months behind where I want to be, but I'm doing 5km runs pretty easily now.

2. Watching my poor Orioles get shelled, yet again. What a start to the season :/

3. Tuesday morning is one of my sleep-in mornings, yay! Baby woke an hour earlier than usual this morning so I need it.

Count me in as another who can't see the appeal of marathons.
1. Amazingly fabulous Flaming Lips concert last nights. Great music, giant balloons with confetti in them, the lead singer in a clear plastic ball thingie, laser pointers and a huge enthusiastic crowd.
2. My presentation for my advisor's class went off well. May have lost a few undergrads on some technical details but this is hard stuff. One guy was super enthusiastic and wanted to talk about tesselating grids and fractals for twenty mins after class. Which is good but I was so tired.
3. Am in a weird housekeeping mood. Ordered a copy of Cheryl Mendelson's Home Comforts after reading the sample chapters. I really like her writing style and comprehensiveness.

See, I would love to run a marathon. My body wouldn't, but I would!

danf, a friend told me about these apartments. I'll email you the details when (if) I get home.

1. NYC
2. NYT
3. OMG