My parrotlet, Gryphlet, fell out of her cage this morning, after I foolishly left the door open. She did this over Christmas, too, but seemed a little stunned and then fine. Today, she kept falling over and didn't perk back up, so I took her to the vet and left her. they said nothing is broken or bruised, but she does have a respiratory infection, which they are treating.

I'm so glad this happened, because we're about to leave for a few days, and I was going to leave her at the house, like I normally do. Now we're going to board her, and they can give her the antibiotics and keep an eye on her.

San Francisco this week! woo! Now, just to wrangle the rest of the animals to my dad's, who is taking care of them while we're gone.

Had a fun evening with friends last night.

For some reason, my computer has been running stupidly slow, but only when the modem/router thingy is plugged in. Otherwise it works fine. Argh. I know I've needed a new CPU for a while, but damn, this makes me have to speed up the process.

My schedule is starting to pick up speed. I'm nervous since I've been slacking for the past month and change. But at the same time, I'm excited to get back into things.

I need to work super hard on my Council assignments since they are due at the end of the month.

I'm still coughing after I got a lungful of smoke from a wood-burning stove at Thanksgiving. I think it's only going to be another day or so and then it'll be done. I am so done with coughing, and with getting a dozen oysters for breakfast every day, if you get my drift.

My car is in for repair after someone did this to it. I had a text yesterday to say it'd be ready today. I phoned at 1pm only to be told there are no drivers available to return it, so I'll get it tomorrow. I invented early afternoon urgent appointments to ensure I get it back tomorrow. I don't have a courtesy car and I have things I need a car for this week.

Work is busy, everyone is dejected now the Christmas decorations are gone and the office is back to its dull grey self.

Social life is non-existent. But that's partly by choice - I've not been feeling 100%, with this cough and the little surgical procedure I had the other week. My stitches come out on Friday though, which I'm really glad about. They're beginning to itch, and they're not exactly in a place I can scratch them in public.

Hairdresser tomorrow. Dentist Thursday. Hospital Friday. Ah, the excitement ...

Start applying for jobs. Timing of interviewing might be tough since I'm going to be in surgery for my back on the 28th and then won't be allowed to drive for a few weeks after that.

Working on web development skills which I know bits and pieces of but need to really get proficient in the whole chain, end-to-end.

Since I can't do much physically until my back is fixed, I've been watching a ton of movies on Netflix/Hulu/Amazon. Using Ebert's Great Movies list as a guide to further my film education. Currently watching Yojimbo.

Oh and hey, I finally got my first passport in the mail yesterday so the world is mine. (Except that I can barely walk and I don't have a job).

Tomorrow I'll be in Hungary. Budapest to be precise.
There's a work conference there but for me it's mostly a trigger to go away for a few days and finally see Budapest.
I find Hungarian really hard to read though. So that may spoil some of the joy of traveling: dabbeling in the local language.

I read somewhere that Hungarian is one of THE hardest languages to learn.

Warm weather and rain have finally melted the ice on my driveway. Lot of winter left, though.

I saw this documentary about R. Crumb over the weekend and really liked it. Though I felt so sad for his brothers.

Been exercising a lot, although my left knee is giving me trouble. It might be this.

I love that Crumb documentary!

Less than 2 months after having my scapula broken by a truck knocking me off my bicycle, I was able to ride (a different bike) to my lawyer's. He hasn't been able to get the state of New Jersey to locate the insurance of the company whose truck it was. There seems to be not much consequences to my hit and run driver (and he says this is generally the case--if no one dies, the police aren't motivated to follow up).

I hate to hear stories like that O.R.; there seems to be few consequences for running over bicyclists here either.

Crumb weirded me out a bit. It's a well done documentary but I'm not sure I want to spend more time than that with that family. It was a little scary to find out that R. Crumb is the "normal" one in the family.

Vacation is over. Back to life, back to reality! Though Monday is a holiday, weeeee.

Rejoined the employee gym at work. Gots to work on my fitness! It's nice to have somewhere to go when I get away from my desk. My first race is a 4M on Superbowl Sunday!

They're building a playground on campus; it's right outside our door. That'll be fun and easy for us! The mulch truck came at 5:30 this morning; we heard it backing up due to the loud beeping. Hopefully they got all the mulch they needed today (or the truck stays overnight).

Wow. That's outrageous that there are little consequences to running somebody over.

Impulsively going to NYC for a couple of days. Need to get away, get away, get away.

Really hate my job. I hate the commute to my job, the lack of direction, my current team and my attitude. It's taking a big toll on me and on my partner, which really isn't fair.

I'm taking steps though - leaving work early to network, exercising when possible, using a SAD light and focusing on learning as much as I can. Hoping to be out of there by end of March if possible. But I'm struggling to define what sort of job I am looking for: I was a developer for years, but now have been working in an analyst role for quite a while (bah). How do you even find something then? Dreading not having vacation too, I'm so burnt out.

If I focus on something good, I bought a neat print at Crafty Wonderland that reminds me of how my brain worked when I was a kid. It's very dreamlike and pretty, I can't wait to find a frame for it. And my frustration with work has led me to work on relearning French as a distraction, so hopefully next time I get to go, I don't order a "mug of wine." Hee.

A water main broke on my corner last night and now we are without water or elevator service. And there is a giant flooded hole in the street (and more flooding in the basement).
It's been ok so far in that I haven't needed to shower or go out yet, but that won't last.

Figured out that the flies in my houseplants that I've been battling for months are not fruit flies but actually FUNGUS GNATS! Even grosser and I want them gone that much more. But it makes more sense now why the fruit fly traps and treatments I've been trying haven't worked.
Looks like the advice is to let the plants dry out as much as possible and then either go in with a chemical Bt soak, or a hydrogen peroxide solution. Anyone have experience with either? I have hp so I might try that, and I am also a little scared of chemicals. But if chemicals are the answer, I will do it.

Husband is away on his annual writer's retreat now but gets back later today.

I wanted to have people over tonight but no one wants to go to a walk-up, no water apartment so it looks like I'll have to cancel.

Next week I have a work trip to Vegas. Are there any quiet, non-gambling and glitzy things to do there that I can walk to if I have off-time? I've only been once and it wasn't my scene. I am staying at Caesar's Palace and won't have a car.

1. Still totally steamed over a totally snarky and uncalled for email I got yesterday from the president of one of my volunteer organizations. I immediately sent an angry (but cogent) response demanding an apology and have since watched a stream of emails go by addressed to others and cc'ing me from him. The delay/refusal to apologize is keeping my blood boiling.

2. On a more positive note, I am so happy to be home from LV and reunited with our home and pets. No, rmless, I've never found anything like that there. The best I've ever done to escape the endless awfulness that is LV is tour the cactus garden at Ethel M's candy factory, or drive to the gorgeous national parks in southern Utah - and both those things require a car.

3. Very tense/excited/stressed about -- a U.S. football game! Big playoff game this weekend here in Seattle.

Isn't there a world class art museum or is that "glitzy"? I 'm unsure of the parameters of "glitzy" in this context, but I could stick so many words in those quotes in almost any situation. One person's fancy schmancy is another person's dumpty frumpty.
I'm trying to have the look of constant horror chemically removed.

How about checking out the spa at the hotel? Or a buffet or two? That's about all there is for "quiet" and "glitzy" on the Vegas strip.

There is some great art in Las Vegas, scattered here and there in the richer casinos, but it takes a total of about 30 minutes to see any of the little collections, which isn't much of a respite. There is no world class art museum.

16 days of no smoking :-). That's all I got.

I thought the Bellagio was suppose to have a museum and conservatory. Wait, are we pro-glitzy or anti-glitzy? Because i'd think just wandering around and shopping fits the former.

Studded snow tires on the bike and enjoying Winter.

Well might as well be real here. I have a cockatoo named Beaker. And I spend 90% of my day with him. He is the sweetest birdie in the whole damn world. He bites my ears. And also he rubs his head against mine. We have our own language. He squeeks and whistles. And I do the same. He has pretty much saved my life. Even though I love my wife dearly, after my Scooby died in my hands I was ready to give up. See, I didn't realize how much that a death of a bird would affect me.

And for a while that was a bad time.

But Beaker has brought me back to love and happiness. I love my Beaky so very much.

And I know that my attachment to a bird might be thought of as weird or sick.

I do not care. I love my Beaker so very much.