peedisposed
Am I the only person that lives in constant fear of being walked in on while using the office facilities? It bothers me to the point of visually checking the lock button on the doorknob at least twice during pre-seating. It's never happened, and I guess I'm just going to make darned sure it doesn't.
11/30/2001 04:41:17 PM  



latest on the baby train
A hearty Congrats!!! to Rik and Melissa, due with their first in April.
11/30/2001 12:53:04 PM  



friday again
Another Friday Five:

1. What did you have for dinner last night? Fettucine alfredo with broccoli and chicken, a la Michelina's, and a slice of bread machine bread.

2. Do you ever get up for a midnight snack? Ummm. No. I find that a bit disturbing. Dagwood scares me.

3. What's your favorite dessert? Well, I guess it'd be almost anything at Rio Bravo.

4. Tell us something about you that would surprise us. I smoked pot in college. And I inhaled.

5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? Working on my holiday cards. Or at least that's what I tell myself.

11/30/2001 06:11:51 AM  



shadowy blog underworld
Nice little bookmarklet tool which displays HTML comments where they hide in any page. Go blogspelunking! (via mydogmeg)

11/29/2001 04:49:16 PM  



and on a related note
Salespersons who call me at school and expect me to listen to their spiel while I've got a class. I hereby pronounce you and your products blacklisted, you obnoxious twits. I'm fully capbable of reading, so send me your catalog. Or feel free to kiss my patootie.
11/29/2001 10:40:18 AM  



umm... here's a prime example, sir
So I got this letter today, from the regional manager at last year's yearbook company, which I won't name, but it starts with "J," and they're more famous for making class rings and graduation announcements and such. Asking if he could have a meeting to discuss our "relationship," and why I had decided to sign with another company, and to possibly work out an arrangement for the future.

Should my reply be this: circle with red the address on the letter, which was that of an entirely different school (but still miraculously made it to us), and send it back?

Ah, the personal attention you get from companies which have outgrown themselves.
11/29/2001 09:31:58 AM  



little gifties
If you're a LotR fan, and you can't wait for the movie - email me your address, and I'll send you a set of five nice movie bookmarks. I got a hee-yuge shipment of promo freebies today (with another on the way!), more than I'll ever be able to use here. It would be nice to see some of them go to good homes :-)
11/28/2001 11:45:25 AM  



time outs
The biggest perk of our year-round schedule is having November off - a built-in holiday buffer. But for those fellow Virgos/Virgo-esques who freak out about preparing for the season (you know, the perfect gifts, the perfect tree, the perfect cards, the perfect hostess gifts, the perfect meal...), and don't have a lot of time to unwind, here are a few quick de-stressors that I've turned to in the past:

* Buy a coloring book. Preferably something soothing, like this, or this. This certainly looks interesting. Not this. Then splurge and color the pages with really nice pencils.
* Have a calzone. You know you want to.
* Hug a snowman.
* Burn candles. Lots and lots and lots of them.
* Make hot cocoa. No, not that instant crap - use the recipe on the back of a Hershey's cocoa box. Then add this. Ahhh.
* Drive to Sutter Creek. Shop and eat at the Palace. Nice, very.
* Watch the classics.
* Read to someone special.
11/28/2001 10:39:49 AM  



locomotion
Almost forgot - new pics from the California State Railroad Museum here.
11/27/2001 11:13:57 AM  



it would seem...
...that the Fates are conspiring against me, trying to break down my will to leave. In the span of a mere hour, I've had a student bring me a gift that was made just for me during intersession (one of those little block necklaces which reads "We [heart] Books," and a little beadman charm), and the principal came in and told me to start thinking about ordering furnishings for the new digs next year. Signs, or merely some Evil Force attempting to tempt?

Well... damn.
11/27/2001 10:10:15 AM  



"high fantasy," indeed
I've spent much of the past week re-reading Philip Pullman's Amber Spyglass, the third book in his "Dark Materials" trilogy. I'm nearly finished, and I know I'll be crying again at the end, and should plan accordingly. If you're a LOTR freak, and you enjoyed Harry Potter (but think it tends to run a tad simplistic), then you must read these books. Usually I only pimp to the kids, but these are among my top ten favorites of all time, among those that I buy in hardcover with the intent to keep for a lifetime. The main characters are 'tweens, but only the most persistent and perceptive readers at my school have made it through the entire trilogy. While folks around the globe have been busy chastizing Rowling for her heretical use of witchcraft and wizardry, Pullman has rather quietly snuck past with a plot that not only gives religion a thorough shake, but challenges concepts at the very core of faith itself - death, and heaven, and God. These are true page-turners, filled with action and suspense; the child characters are strong and humanly mutable and fiercely compassionate; and the leaps of imagination are at times breathtaking. Go find them now, and read them while you're waiting for HP5.
11/26/2001 05:18:09 PM  



last day of grace
Yes, it's come, and far too soon - my last day off. I didn't even try any Mad Meatloaf Experiments. Sad but true.

And what have I done on this precious day, so far?

I've spiffed up my resume and faxed it to its fate, which is, hopefully, to land me a shiny new job at CSUS. It's perfect. I'm innately qualified, it's downtown (light rail! woo!), and it pays extraordinarily well. And, let's face it - it's just time, already. How many days have I spent busting my hump in two, only to come home completely exhausted, or devastated, or catastrophically depressed? And for what?

Not a heck of a lot, any way you look at it. The only reason, really, that I'd have a twinge of regret - my boss has been just excellent. The best I've ever had, no contest. And my leaving would create no end of problems for her, abetted by complete lack of subs for library staff or qualified individuals willing to work part time and for the salary the district is willing to fork over.

Anyhoo. Must consider my self-preservation, first and foremost. Now it's just a matter of waiting. Hopefully not long.

I'm so grateful that there's a Kinko's mere steps from my door, for things like eleventh-hour faxing. Too bad it's completely grown over with jerkweed. I mean, really. I'm the poster child for social retardation, having failed Basic Conversation 101, and even Small Talk for Dummies. But at least my mother was able to teach me the basic courtesies, such as smiling, and hello, and please, and thank-you. Yes, even on a Monday.

Now I'm going to fuhgeddaboudit, and finish reading Ben and Mena's Pacific Northwest Journal (which they finished in like, two days, and I've been halfheartedly stabbing at my Vegas journal for over two months, and it will still be put to shame in comparison!).

11/26/2001 11:22:27 AM  



including hot tongue action!!!
You can now view all my trip photos here. And photos are all I'll be posting this weekend. So go look at 'em, or go to your room without dinner.
11/22/2001 07:14:07 PM  






11/21/2001 04:15:22 PM  



too much time on my hands
The task: answer each question with a song lyric (via smattering)

Are you male or female?

The moment that I step outside
So many reasons
For me to run and hide
I can't do the little things
I hold so dear
'Cause it's all those little things
That I fear

'cause I'm just a girl
I'd rather not be
'cause they won't let me drive
late at night
I'm just a girl
guess I'm some kind of freak
'cause they all sit and stare
with their eyes
(Just a Girl, No Doubt)


Who are you?

I am colorblind
Coffee black and egg white
Pull me out from inside
I am ready
I am taffy stuck and tongue tied
Stutter shook and uptight
Pull me out from inside
I am ready
I am fine (Colorblind, Counting Crows)


Describe your neighborhood:

just find a place where no one knows of your redneck past
yeah, you can easily dispose of your redneck past
you'll show them all back home (Redneck Past, Ben Folds Five)


How do you look?

i am not a pretty girl
that is not what i do
i ain't no damsel in distress
and i don't need to be rescued
so put me down punk
maybe you'd prefer a maiden fair
isn't there a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere (Not a Pretty Girl, Ani DiFranco)


If you could say one thing to the person you love what would it be?

Home can be the Pennsylvania Turnpike
Indiana's early morning dew
High up in the hills of California
Home is just another word for you

Well I never had a place that I could call my very own
That's all right, my love, 'cause you're my home (You're My Home, Billy Joel)


Where do you wish you were right now?

In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Ain't it just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes I'm gone to Carolina in my mind (Carolina in My Mind, James Taylor)


What do you think about your best friend(s)?:

I've been thinking about my friends
Saying they'll be with be to the bitter end
I don't know how I can get that far
when I don't even know who the hell they are (Inside, Patti Rothberg)


Any words of advice?

jane be jane
you're better that way
not when you're trying
imitating something you think you saw

jane be jane
and if sometimes that might
drive them away
let them stay there
you don't need them anyway

you're worried there might not be
anything at all inside
but that you're worried
should tell you that's not right
don't try to see yourself
the way that others do
it's no use (Jane, Ben Folds Five)


What do you wish you were doing right now?

Let me sail, let me sail, let the orinoco flow
Let me reach, let me beach on the shores of Tripoli
Let me sail, let me sail, let me crash upon your shore
Let me reach, let me beach far beyond the Yellow Sea

From Bissau to Palau - in the shade of Avalon
From Fiji to Tiree and the Isles of Ebony
From Peru to Cebu hear the power of Babylon
From Bali to Cali - far beneath the Coral Sea

From the North to the South, Ebudae into Khartoum
From the deep sea of Clouds to the island of the moon
Carry me on the waves to the lands I've never been
Carry me on the waves to the lands I've never seen (Orinoco Flow, Enya)


What do you think about drugs and alcohol?

I thought that Alcohol was just for those with
nothing else to do
I thought that drinking just to get drunk
was a waste of precious booze
But now I know that there's a time
and there's a place where I can choose
To walk the fine line between
self-control and self-abuse (Alcohol, Barenaked Ladies)


If you could say one thing to your enemy what would it be?

I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say
And you can't take back what you've taken away
Cause I feel you, I feel you near me

There's only for my soul
And undo this fear
Forgiveness for a man
Who was stronger
I was just a little girl
But I can't look back (Damaged, Plumb)


What would you do if you won a million dollars?

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you love me too
I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love (Can't Buy Me Love, Beatles)


Any closing words?

So I look at where I've come and where I'm going
I will never be the greatest after all
But it was hard enough to climb
To get to where I've been
Love enough to satisfy
And life enough to live

I may look to you like nothing much to be
But you should see the way it feels to me
You should see the way it feels to me (You Should See the Way it Feels, David Wilcox)
11/21/2001 10:57:05 AM  



new views
Two episodes in, and I'm pretty impressed with 24 so far. This is the one new show that I really anticipated this season, and it was refreshing not to be disappointed for once. Finally, something that doesn't involve pretty people backstabbing and voting each other off. And nice that they rerun them a couple times in the same week on FX, so you don't need to worry about time-lapse if you miss an episode.

What I would be watching if I weren't still masochistically beating myself over the head with the remains of the X-Files: Alias. Caught the first month, at least.
11/20/2001 05:25:53 PM  



bouncing babies
And even more photos...
11/20/2001 04:38:38 PM  



go see this now
Laid Off. Just too farking funny. The guy has my buck! (via the fruitlog)
11/19/2001 04:44:19 PM  



superconvenience
While I was in Michigan, I got to visit that 24-hour, 363-day paragon of selection and convenience - Meijer. For those unfamiliar, it's one-stop shopping. Huge grocery and department store all under one roof. Some even have restaurants, opticians, and dental services.

Unfortunately, you can only find them here.

Really, we'd even be happy with a Super K at this point.

Well, maybe not happy. Partially assuaged, let's say.

Nothing in Sacramento is open past ten. Not even the Rite Aid. Maybe a 7-Eleven. But those are scary.

When I'd first broken up with my ex, I'd get lonely in the wee hours of the morning, and do some self-pitying bargain-hunting at Meijer. Late-night baking? You can grab some eggs (and a magazine or mass-market paperback to keep you busy while your masterpiece is in the oven) at Meijer. Want to do your grocery shopping, but have zero tolerance for crowds? Shop Meijer at two a.m.

The closest we've got is the Target Greatland (bigger than your average Tarjhay). Big, and it has a cold case, but it's certainly not open all night. I didn't know Super Target existed until I was poking around the site a couple of weeks ago.

[petty consumer mind drooling and pirouetting in gleeful delight]

If I begin a daily mail campaign to Target Corp., do you think they might be persuaded to open up shop here?

I can certainly dream, can't I?
11/19/2001 12:14:39 PM  



material hurl
$331,000? What a steal! And, just to think - I lived less than a mile away for four years!
11/18/2001 11:40:08 PM  



clicks
I spent a morning wandering the streets of historic Battle Creek. Go peek. The residential architecture makes me drool, with every type represented, in massive forms exhibiting various states of decay. But I feel funny taking pictures of homes, even if they do have National Register plaques out on the front lawn, so you won't see any of those.

But I did manage to sneak in a Gratuitous Kitty Shot.
11/18/2001 11:11:49 PM  



when your nose glows
Need Christmas ideas? For someone who adores the classic Claymation (and who doesn't?) "Rudolph"? Here's a new book about the production of the film by Rick Goldschmidt. I ordered The Enchanted World of Rankin-Bass for my sister last year, and it was a hit. The author was wonderful, sent personal emails and autographed stuff for me - even drew a picture of Hermie and a greeting in the book!

Also look for this very fuzzy Ultimate Bumble, some bobbleheads, an autographed Heat/Snow Miser Postcard, or figures galore. For the true enthusiast: the Santa's Castle Play and Display set (center of page).

And don't forget to give them a head's up on this holiday's new special by Arthur Rankin (coming on Fox in December), "Santa Baby."
11/18/2001 08:11:33 AM  



the hilarious, the gross, and the downright disturbing
Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted tonite at the Crest! Whee!

Though I do rather miss viewing at the Magic Bag in Detroit, where you could watch and drink. Those were the days...
11/17/2001 05:42:41 PM  



tourist shots
A few Michigan driving pictures, the first group from my trip.
11/17/2001 03:49:10 PM  



friday five
What fun ('cause you know I love lists) - my first Friday Five (created by Heather at smattering):

1. Name five things in your refrigerator: Stewart's Orange Cream, Smart Dogs, ten tiny pears, one quart fat free plain Vitasoy, triangle of parmesan

2. Name five things in your freezer: very busy ice cube trays, Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt, Michelina's entrees, lunchbag icepack, olive in a bag that my sister picked when she was here in Sacto and forgot and we never had the heart to throw away

3. Name five things under your kitchen sink: Electrasol tabs, recyclables, SOS scrubbies, box of finch food, Murphy's Oil

4. Name five things around your computer: Northwest Coast Barbie, little-used blue 2 lb. hand barbell, never-used Palm III, mini Rolodex, Classic Pooh Kanga and Roo

5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? being thankful I'm safely on the ground again with lots of hugs lavished on my four snugglies

11/16/2001 11:03:36 AM  



creature of habit
How wonderful to sleep in my own bed, be shed upon by my own kitties on the comfy couch in front of the giant tube, munch my own junk food, stare at my own computer, and make my own coffee. Ahh.

Today will be spent in my lazy togs doing laundry, popping Advil (napping at weird angles in those cramped airline seats made my bones creaky and sore), planning Christmas gifts, and downloading pics from the camera to be posted gradually.

Did you know that D. and I haven't been apart for more than three days at a time in four years?

It's good to be home.
11/16/2001 09:56:33 AM  



nothing a good night's sleep won't cure
I posted from the road a couple of times (see below), but our FTP was screwy, so nothing published. All is good now.

I'm just plain exhausted. Woke up at 2 a.m. EST, drove two hours to the airport from Battle Creek, expending much precious energy on Yooper deer vision (oh, the roadside carnage in Michigan!). Of course, being a Good Passenger and arriving over two hours early was pointless, because TWA's ticket counter wasn't even open yet. The security in Detroit was the tightest I've seen yet. They spent five minutes scrutinizing each piece of carry-on luggage under the x-ray, which made for unbearable lines - even at five a.m. Consequently my flight to St. Louis took off an hour late, so I worried most of that time away, praying I could catch my connection. Must've worn a layer off the kaeru. Made the flight, barely, even though the concourses there are just too long and I'm too short.

And sleeping on various floors all week has done my body no good at all.

But I did get a view of Lake Tahoe for the first time. And the Rockies. That was ... [yawn] ... nice...

zzzzzz.
11/15/2001 04:49:46 PM  



back again, briefly
Now I'm in Rochester, at the OU Library, waiting for dinner at Macaroni Grill. I had a nice salmon lunch already today at Bennigan's. At this rate, I'm going to need bigger pants by the time the day is done!

The weather couldn't have been better for driving here this morning - sunny and 60's all the way. And my tape deck/CD converter even worked (woo!), so I had decent tunes. Most mournfully, my favorite radio station in the world has been killed off. Other than that, things are pretty much the same in Detroit. Same nasty-ass drivers on I-75. Same gaping potholes to fly over on 94. I was surprised that the air smells so much better here north of the city than in Sacramento, though. I guess I've been getting used to the layer of smog that covers the valley.

Hasn't New York just had enough, already...?

My trepidation about getting back on that plane Thursday morning is immense. Security was truly painful in Sacramento this time. Who would've known my new loafers have steel in the soles? I'm glad they're being ultra-careful, though.

Just glad I wore nice socks.

They've only got NS 4.08 available on these university machines (I think you know how I feel about that). Blogging is a weird experience, at best. But a woman experiencing web withdrawal can't afford to be picky, I think ;-)

May tag along with my sister to the zoo tomorrow, if all goes as planned. Luckily I've got that new card in my camera!

Back in Sacramento Thursday morning. I'll probably sleep most of that day away, since I'll have been up since 2 am EST to catch the first flight. Oy.
11/13/2001 02:22:03 PM  



here I am!
I'm blogging from my old stomping grounds in the U.P. - specifically, the campus library at NMU. Running a bit short on time, so I won't say much. Except it's cold. And rainy.

Had "Thanksgiving" dinner yesterday. Leftovers to get home to tonite.

More later...
11/10/2001 02:27:51 PM  



and she's off
See y'all in about a week. Water my plants, feed the fish, and don't forget to leave a light on for me.
11/7/2001 08:42:42 AM  



last supper
We went out to Red Robin this evening, where I was semi-good and had a Grilled Turkey Burger.

Have you seen the Carl's Jr. ad for the Six Dollar Burger^TM in which the two guys are at a T.G.I. Friday-esque restaurant, and the waitstaff is singing "HappyHappyBirthday" at another table like a bunch of obnoxious hopped-up howler monkeys? The two guys - that was so us.

Then we did a lap around the mall. Darin decided to set off anything labelled "Try Me!" at Kay-Bee toys.

Me: Would you not do that?!?
D: Why? It says "Try Me!" They want you to try it! Look, it's "Pull-My-Finger Fred!!!" Hey, where are you going?

Someone explain the need for this to me.
11/6/2001 10:52:37 PM  



we interrupt our not-so-regularly-scheduled web programming
&@#$ing NETSCAPE!!!!

11/6/2001 04:54:35 PM  



blogging: the other uncontrolled substance
So, tomorrow my flight leaves, at noon, if all goes well. And of course I have my little list of concerns. Flying for the first time in September was interesting, but not something I particularly enjoyed (timing played a big part in my discomfort). I had very little time inside airports before that, so I'm not sure how much they previously sucked, but they certainly do now.

You'd think that would occupy most of my anxiousness. But it's shared equally, by an issue even I can't believe I'm thinking about: the Internet. More specifically, the lack of.

Most of my friends and family are only peripherally involved with the thing that, over the past three years, has gradually infiltrated every part of my life. Sure, they may have email. But they don't feel the compulsive need to check it every hour. And blogging? Pretty difficult to explain to someone who's never even been exposed.

They're all still reeling over the fact that D. and I actually "met" first online.

So, my addicted little mind is scheming. "Well, if we make it to Marquette, I can plug in at NMU for a few minutes. Or maybe if there's a lull in Escanaba (really, when isn't there a lull in Escanaba???), I can check in at the city library. Then, in Battle Creek, while Becky's at work, I can walk down to her library and get online there. And when I visit OU, I can use a computer in the library between lunch- and dinner-dates."

If this gets much worse, I'm going to have to check myself into rehab.

Funny thing, I only got a 68 on the "Are You a Blogaholic?" quiz (via Booboolina).

11/6/2001 04:38:28 PM  



pump up the volume
We've been tossing around the idea of getting a new digicam for a while now. It would be so wonderful to have something not point-and-shoot, but it's not really a necessity (especially when the word "house" is more frequently part of daily conversation).

But I had to do something about the memory before I left for MI. We had an 8MB CompactFlash card, which allowed storage of only 17 photos at "high" quality - hardly enough for a week's worth of photos, unless I wanted to drag one of the laptops with me, which I decided I did not. I ordered a 32MB card for $30. It's so freeing. We went to the California Railroad Museum yesterday (pics shortly), and it was so nice not to have to keep deleting bad shots to make room for the good ones on the spot. Leaves more room for creativity.

(Here's a shot from this morning's drive to the school.)
11/5/2001 12:43:43 PM  



things you really should double-check before scheduling your cross-country return flight
I was just thinking about packing, staring off into space, when my eyes focused on my wall calendar. They wandered to Thursday the 15th, which is the day I return from Michigan.

Which also happens to be Thanksgiving Day.

Why did I not know this earlier? Why did I think Thanksgiving was the week after that? How can I call myself a Virgo???

Have you ever flown on a holiday? Were the airports crazy? Is there any good reason I'm about to hyperventilate?
11/5/2001 11:02:31 AM  



some paranoia with that candy?
Go read Becky's crazy tale of candy corn, Customs, cops, contagion, and a creeped-out concierge.
11/3/2001 07:02:43 PM  



great white fright
We have an SUV, but only in the very loosest definition of the genre. It's a tiny thing, and gets better gas mileage than my Olds. So, please, no calls or letters.

We're allotted one miniscule sliver of blacktop beneath the metal carports, which is where the RAV lives. Our carport-mate (the one with whom we share the pair of spots between metal support columns) is a girl and her SUV. Not just any SUV, mind you. A big honkin' Ford Expedition.

Nothing more touching than a girl and her laser white Expedition, with the big pink Roxy decal in the rear window and some froofy ornament dangling from her antenna. She simply cannot part with it for more than an hour. She works here at the apartment office, the equivalent of less than a block from our building, and she... she...

...drives it to work every day. Yes. Every day. A young, perfectly able-bodied individual, driving her pet behemoth across the property.

And when she's made that thirty-second journey home every day, sometimes she craves a little adventure. So she...

...attempts to back into the spot. Now, granted, I'm no Master Parking Maneuverist, myself. But. For the love of God. If you're sitting on a gabillion tons of metal, and you're working with a space into which your vehicle barely fits to begin with, and you obviously lack parking skill in any situation... pull in forwards.

Cripes.

I guess you can imagine what this means for us. It's become a trial to park even our little vehicle in the remaining space.

Not to mention living under the constant threat of pulverization.

Darin, when he's lucky enough to arrive here first, has started parking as close to the line as possible. I'm sure the sarcasm is wasted.
11/2/2001 05:27:45 PM  



hilltop harvest
New pics from our trip to Apple Hill...
11/2/2001 07:21:49 AM  



still halloween...?
Sacramento Polly Esther's/Culture Club is having a Halloween party on Saturday night, and I want to go. My partner-in-most-crimes, however, isn't convinced. Any fellow local people-watchers (wallflowers) care to go?
11/1/2001 01:38:08 PM