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It has been horribly cold all day here. I hope anyone reading this is in warm place.
I saw the new Harry Potter movie today. Was considering going to see the Two Towers or Frida as well this afternoon, but after leaving the cinema I went straight home to a very hot bath followed by a long near-comatose nap. Could not wake myself up very well. Struggled into conciousness and made some hot tea. If it stays this cold, I'm cocooning here until spring, with the possible exception of New Years celebrations.

It's been a long Christmas Eve day. Started this morning with brunch with my brother's family at my parents house. Ended with a fast food dinner gathering at my grandmother's apartment with my oldest uncle and his wife, my cousin and her husband and son, and another cousin with his wife and three sons. Lots of eating listening to family stories that change every year or, in some cases, from week to week.


I'm glad to be home now to sleep in my own bed in a little peice of the universe that I have some part in shaping. Tomorrow is Christmas Day and I plan to organize and clean out old unused stuff for the thrift shop and eat some of the left overs in my fridge.

It's been a long Christmas Eve day. Started this morning with brunch with my brother's family at my parents house. Ended with a fast food dinner gathering at my grandmother's apartment with my oldest uncle and his wife, my cousin and her husband and son, and another cousin with his wife and three sons. Lots of eating listening to family stories that change every year or, in some cases, from week to week.


I'm glad to be home now to sleep in my own bed in a little peice of the universe that I have some part in shaping. Tomorrow is Christmas Day and I plan to organize and clean out old unused stuff for the thrift shop and eat some of the left overs in my fridge.

Employment is on my mind today.
mine and my friends

Last night a friend, a single father, phoned to tell me his new job of nearly three months has laid him off just before the Christmas Holiday - when the entire staff takes vacation - after working just enough weeks no longer be eligible for any unemployment.

Last week, another friend who'd been unemployed many many months found a job - in Alpharetta. She lives east of L5P, but any job is good to have with full health benefits,etc.

This morning, I made it to an 8 a.m. interview south of the airport (I had to be in Buckhead by 9 a.m.) only to be blown off by my interviewer, who wouldn't be available until "oh, sometime after 8:30 or 8:35".

... why can't we all just be gainfully employed someplace that'll be able to pay our rent or mortgages and less than 90 minutes on the road every day? With health insurance?

Can't we all just stay gainfully employed?

Can't we all have jobs that keep us out of shelters and hospitals?

Trying to make plans for the rest of the week. Trying to be more productive.

Trying to get my ironing done and talk myself into getting up earlier in the morning.

Wondering how I'm going to be spending Christmas.

Looking forward to New Year's Eve with Eva and Athena.

Looking forward to New Year's Day with Audrey and Nick.

The city sky is pink tonight.

Awful cold, wet day. Traffic was especially painful today, at a crawl everywhere all day long. I pity the traffic cops in buckhead who are almost invisible in the rain at night. And yet I can't remember ever hearing of one being hit by a car - just seems very likely to happen.

High point of the day was making the guy at the Smoothie place smile from ear to ear when I handed him a printed out email announcing the Mission of Burma show coming up in February.


Second to that, I got a chuckle from the punk rock sock monkey pic someone sent me. Very cute - and something I could do something similar to for my own home decor.

Had jury duty this morning, which was thankfully very brief.

Word of Advice: It's far better, even if you're running terribly late, to just take MARTA downtown. The Jury parking lot is nearly impossible to find and quite a distance away and virtually unavailable during sports events. And even if you get there on time, there's a very long line to get through the metal detectors and bag searches before entering the court.

Unfortunate events at home yesterday. Got ready to go to work and there was a large truck blocking the lot. Then they tried to back out of the lot and managed to knock out several bricks in the corner masonry and pull off the gutter. Then they bottomed out onto the street at the bottom of the driveway. Several of us had to phone work and plan on alternate ways to get there while the truck driver waited for a wrecker to show up.

I just realized the funky bow on my teapot cozy is actually a square coaster pulled through a loop. Or is it a hot pad? Pulled right out and works great - not just a silly ornament.

Funny how sometimes in my dreams I have definite memories of events and things that never existed. I mean I have that complete feeling of familiarity with things and past events that only exist in my dream. It's an unexpected feeling for dreamtime.

The day started with lunch at my family's house with my parents, grandmother, niece and nephew. The day turned out better than I thought it would. It started with mother having drugged dad with some pain medication she got from my uncle. Dad slept until it was time to eat and then he went back down again. After the meal, both of my uncles showed up with their wives and my teenage cousin whom my neice adores. Everyone stayed very entertained with eachother chatting and hanging out so I ended up having a much more peaceful holiday than I imagined. When the uncles left, I followed.

Immediately afterwards, I went to Jae and Bill's house and hung out with them and their son, who was ready for bed until I arrived. We laughed and chated while watching changing place on the Home channel. (They have basic cable now!) We got a lot of enjoyment discussing the methods they used with Bill, who knows building, and Jae who is in the mindspace of someone redecorating a new home. We tried to guess at in advance who was going to like their "new" home. We critiqued color schemes and cringed at cherubs attached to mirror frames. Time crept up and surprised us.

I ended the night by going to the Railroad Earth studios. There was still a dying fire in the pit in back but most of the guests were gone. I hung out in the studio with Neil, Scott and George while they played and tried to get me into it. I had brainlock and just wanted to enjoy hanging around in a friendly creative environment surrounded by very nice people. They allowed me to do whatever I wanted. I ended up staying for breakfast and eating leftovers for breakfast.

I am filled with holiday anxiety. Trying not to think about what may or may not transpire on Thanksgiving Day with my family. My plan is to eat, smile, listen attentively for a long as possible without giving away too much personal information, and leave as soon as possible.


Later I have plans to spend the late after noon and evening with dear friends and with any luck that will blow out any post-visit depression I may have.


I am thankful for good friends who will take me in even when I'm feeling down and leave me feeling better by the time I leave.

So, how's your Thanksgiving Day?

Tuesday was filled with the generosity of others for me.


Yesterday as I was leaving work they gave me a turkey. An entire, fresh, whole Butterball turkey. For reasons I cannot explain this made me very giddy and excited to have it. I drove home and popped it straight into the fridge to decide what to do with it - freeze, cook soon, or give away - later, as I had plans to go out with my neighbor for sushi as a belated birthday celebration (his). Got down Buford Hwy. and found out Sat Su Ki was closed. I haven't been out in awhile. But Buford Hwy is full of good eats so we just drove down a bit further and found an Ethiopian restaurant in the next mall. It was sitting next to a Bangladeshi (sp?) restaurant that I never knew existed. The Good Neighbor had never eaten Ethiopian food so we decided on that. Good meal. He loved the spices and the injira bread. We decide to try the Bangladesh restaurant next time we're both able to go out. I told him about the Buford Hwy. restaurant crawl that R & M used to do years ago and we decided to start our own Buford Hwy. eats tour. Should be an adventure. I'm glad to find someone willing to experiment with new places - not just white tablecloths but hole-in-the-wall dives and Mom & Pop spots as well.


The turkey has gone to feed the Grateful Gluttons household which makes me happy as often as they feed me and everyone else.

It's been kinda woebegone day for me. Maybe its's just hormones or phases of the moon.

Yesterday I finally broke down and got a decent haircut after letting my looks go for too long. While it's nice to be able to see and be seen again, it's never cheap to get a good cut & style anywhere. It stung a bit in the wallet.

My cell phone died today. It had been on it's last days for a while. Beyond old batteries that could be replaced, it appears that the tiny electrical socket on it is shot as well. I'm very dependent on my cell phone for work, etc. so there is no choice but to buy a new one ASAP.

My mind is also burdened with financial woes in antipation of the holiday season. I love to gift shop. I was raised in a shopping mall culture. It is the center of all traditions and ceremonies in my clan. Will my lack of shopping this year leave me shunned?

I'm also unhappy with my lack of workspace tonight. Bad lighting and no place to feel free to make a mess. I dream of having a shed of my own. A place where I don't always have to cover every surface with old shower curtains to avoid harm or stains. A place where I can leave projects out indefinitely, even when I have guests in my home.

It's been a long day. It started out with an early morning walk and interview before going to the office, where things went on pretty late. Tomorrow will be a long day as well, going in early and another interview late in the day. Hopefully something better is just around the corner. I like the place and people I'm spending my days with now, but there's so little to it that I know there's no future for me there. Not a productive one anyway. It's especially hard in an intellectual and emotional sense right now because there are no night classes for me to take during the holiday season and too much personal time on my hands.

I admit I'm also going through classic post-Halloween blahs too. My favorite holiday is past and if it doesn't get any warmer soon, I'm going into my winter cocoon that I won't be emerging from until the warming. With the possible exception of New Year's Eve, of course.

Oh, and I'm a bit mad at myself for missing Tilbrook at the RedLight Cafe last night.

Which music god are you?


<

So what was up with the traffic last night and this morning?
I swear my drive home yesterday took more than twice as long as normal. A 20-25 minute drive from Buckhead took an hour. This afternoon was also much heavier than usual traffic. Is there some memo I didn't get? A holiday I'm missing?
Anyway, tonight I was in not hurry to leave the office just so I didn't have to face traffic. Better to actually be actively accomplishing something at work than sitting idly in my car with my foot on the brake most of the time.

Tonight the family of crazy downstairs boy are ripping up and rebuilding their unit while he's still away "under observation" for his own safety (not ours). The place is truly ripped to shreds with drywall dust everywhere now and light fixtures on the floor. The parking lot is blocked with their vehicles even at this late hour.

Saturday I went to the Grand Opening of Cabbagetown Clay and Glass Works at at 228 Powell Street. The opening and silent auction were a big success. Donated pieces were going at great prices and the guests were buying. Frank made a mysterious toxic punch that I still can't imagine the contents of. At the end of the night he was surrounded by dancing young women singing praises for his part in arranging the evening. He finally tore himself away in time to join Larry, myself, and a few other lingering souls as we closed down Manuel's for the night.

Tuesday Night I was lucky enough to see Elvis Costello at the Tabernacle. GREAT show.

Play list, Etc:

The Q that the show was about to begin was the William Tell Overture being played over the sound system.


(guitar - blonde Fender Telecaster)
I Hope You're Happy Now
Doll Revolution (using a theremin at the keyboard, that EC also played with his guitar neck.
You Little Fool
Party Girl
(guitar change to a battered looking teal Fender Jaguar)
Chelsea
15 Petals
I Want To Be Loved
45
(guitar change - brown guitar Tiesco?)
Spooky Girlfriend
(Elevator story - coming down from the penthouse suite where they like to hang out at the bar in an elevator with a huge stack of Luis Vitton luggage. Sixteen 8 ft. bodyguards stepped in, surrounding a tiny Latina. When she saw him, an expression of quiet fury changed to the sweetest smile. If it weren't for all that luggage...)
end of Spooky Girlfriend
(guitar change - red Fender gutar with "Costello" pearl inlay across neck)
ClubLand
(Philadelphia story including "cafe riske" next to Denny's on the corner of Love and across the street from CNN)
Guilty
I Can't Stand Up for falling down
Man Out Of Time
(guitar change to a Gibson Accoustic with "Elvis" in sticker on front)
Indoor Fireworks
(the beloved entertainer bows to the audience)
Sweet Dreams About You
Girls Talk
Deep Dark Truthful Mirror - breaking to-
You Really Got A Hold On Me - continuing to -
Deep Dark Truthful Mirror at halucination lyric

First Encore:
(yet another Fender - "Elvis Costello" pearl inlay across neck)
Beyond Belief
Watching The Detectives
(back to the red "Costello" guitar midway through song)
Peace, Love and Understanding
When I was Cruel
(was that a taped female voice? No - I think it was a sample played from the keyboard)
My Funny Valentine was worked into the middle of When I was Cruel without missing a beat.
(guitar change)
Blood And Chocolate - Uncomplicated

Second Encore:
song that was featured in The Big Lebowski
Mood Swing
(guitar change to pretty sunburst Gibson)
Dust
Alison
Suspicious Minds

Third Encore:
No Action
"1-2-3-4-" Radio Radio
You Belong To Me
(Beatles cover) Slow Down
Pump It Up!
(followed finally by band member intros)

the band was dressed entirely in black, setting up a simple look for a show that highlighted the songs.
simple lighting as in most Costello shows.
EXCELLENT vocal training and ability - strong and clear to the end.

Sunday was back to the real world. Stopped by Cam & Joy's to pick up the Paris scrapbook that I'd left the other night when I didn't have time to go over my photos with her and we did a quick run-through of the shots and tidbits before I headed to Smyrna to visit family and she & Cam went to a child's birthday party.

Thought I would leave the VHS tape I had in Chaz & Sandy's mailbox after I got back into town. Almost got away silently with the dropoff when the dogs started up as I went back down the step to the car. Oops. Didn't mean to set off the alarms.

Friday night I went with sandy to Kim and Harris' Halloween house party.

Saturday was the Grateful Gluttons Day Of The Dead Murder Mystery Party.

It was a very long day of work yesterday.

Hopefully, today should be a much shorter workday. Then I'm off to hang out with the GG's and listen to plans for Saturday.

It's getting much colder today and tomorrow. Possibly near freezing temperatures tonight. Just in time for Halloween - I always remember that as being a really cold night. This year the cold almost didn't make it on time. Oh, but the days are still quite tolerable.

Dreamt I was channeling Marc Bolan last night. Where did that image come from?

My sphere is Soldier (Unity in Strength and Action), and my class is Defender (Peaceful, yet Potent). I am a Shield Bearer. To be a Shield Bearer is to have great faith in your friends. Though your friends may not turn to you for guidance, they will turn to you when they need something more important... when they need somebody to stick up for them, especially in situations when they might feel vulnerable. You are very much valued by your comrades. What kind of Warrior are you?

The last two days have been great. Most of Saturday was spent entirely with the Little Five Points community Halloween Parade float.

We ended the night going to the now woefully-lame Halloween party at WoodLogic. It's a shame - that used to be the best masquerade party in town for years but now the Woodlogic party seems abandoned, too expensive at the door for very bad keg beer and less goodies and music.

Today began with a post-parade brunch in the morning. Then some of us going to to Oakland Cemetary for quite a while going over all of the old grave sites and structures and looking at the cemetary plants and trees as well. We followed that with a long hang at Six Feet Under, a seafood restaurant across the street from the cemetary. We sat on the rooftop overlooking the cemetary while a light mist came down. Good company. Good conversations. Beautiful people. Some had traveled from other states to participate in the Halloween Parade with the Grateful Gluttons.

So, what do I see this morning? Crazy downstairs boy is back, standing outside staring at the house in back of our building, wearing new clothes and talking to the air.

Apparently, his mother, who can't seem to get around to paying any Unit Owners Association fees, had no trouble getting him out of jail.

Too much to do and not enough time. Urrrgh!
Saturday is the Halloween Parade and my costume is only half done. I worked until 8:40 PM tonight and made a mad rush to Hancocks. I grabbed some of the fabrics I wanted and they were starting to close out the registers! There was no time to look at patterns for the pocket-hoodie or cowl I want or to find some stuffing for the tail. I'll have to do that tomorrow.

Tonight I'm working on the mask I should have already finished. It's looking like I wont be able to do what I want for a costume in time. Especially if I work late again tomorrow.

Now I'm wondering what I will do by Saturday.

In some good news, we might be closer to getting rid of the neighbor from hell in my building.

My downstairs neighbor wrote:

Thanks again to each of you that subbmited notoarized statements.

(crazy boy) and (his mother) were in court this morning. After hearing my plea for help and showing the many statements from residents, the judge ordered him held on a $10,000 bond, jail for 30 days and is ordering a psychiatric examination. His mother testified that he has not had problems before and that he has not been on medication prior to now. I was ordered to return to court in the morning for his bond hearing...


Note: Only the judge saw the statements that you provided - and - the judge did not order him held because of the threat - only that he may be a danger to the residents

And now I hear the familiar slamming against the walls, so I know crazy downstairs boy is inside.

Getting ready for work and I can already hear crazy downstairs boy yelling profanities outside to no one in specific. Kinda rapping the curses. I think I'll wait a few more minutes before venturing outside - it's a cold morning and he probably won't stay outside long. Then again, maybe he is inside and it just sounds that way because the windows and doors are all bashed open. I'm trying to get something on paper of my experience to give to Ted printed and notarized today - probably during my lunch hour.

Tonight I would stand outside and yell Beetlejuice three times if it would exorcise my crazy neighbor downstairs. It appears that every single window in that unit is now broken out, including the french door of the main entrance. The TV is blaring from inside at top volume so it can be heard from the parking lot. The entire atrium reeks of pot smoke tonight. And there is the familiar sound like furniture being thrown against the walls.

Ted is going to court Thursday. I need to come up with something to print out and hand to him as a statement to bring with him, since I won't be making it to court because of work. I wish I'd kept more complete records than this web journal of the events of the last year. However, I'm glad I at least have this record of life in my building.

Yesterday was spent at the Halloween float-building party at Cam and Joy Ayer's house. Mostly everyone was working on two large paper mache trees for the Swamp Nation float. Very cool. Great turnout for the project and Chantel was able to wrangle a flatbed.
Friends from California, Philip and Bart made their award-winning chili for everyone.

Afterwards, I went to EyeDrum for Clark's art opening and performance. He's hung several large paintings in the gallery - all of different stages of Clark and styles of painting. He performed with the blues band during the reception. Nate came out and introduced a CD he and his father had made that's now on sale at Eyedrum.

Happy Birthday to Me.

It was really cool today. This was the first morning of the season that I saw my breath fog as I made it out to the car.

I've notice lately that people have actually been listening to me and remembering what I say. Pretty cool.

Not sick but not completely well. All weekend my stomach has been not so completely settled but I'm feeling better. Maybe a bit too much fun last Thursday. Maybe the changing temps. My skin is really gunky too. Don't know what could be causing that. Just wanted to make note of that for my own record.

Saturday I went to a post-rehearsal party party at Cam and Joy's house. Good people. Beautiful house and garden. The moonflowers were in full bloom and Tommy had started the fire in the backyard pit. I didn't feel like eating then, but Joy sent me home with a big container of collard greens and some cornbread for later.

If I had not been working till 6:30, I would have gone to the Norcross Farscape Rally at The War Room. There is another rally coming up in Macon.

Instead, the kindly one filled my belly with sushi and sake at Ru San's.

Then I came home to catch up on email.

Now I must sleep.

Three long days working 9 a.m. til 8 p.m. Hopefully, things will be a bit more manageable tomorrow. I'd really like the make it to some of the future
Save Farscape rallies.

I had a great time at the Farscape Rally last night. I left much too early - still cursing that I missed Diana Obscura's performance. Saw a few friends there. A lot of the crowd was like DragonCon done over. The cast members who made the rally seemed to be in very good spirits, signing and posing, etc. I now have a huge crush on Lani Tupu. Thank you, Caitlin and everyone else who is making this Save Farscape campaign happen.

Laundry and other facts of life now going on today.

So things are accelerating with the neighbors. I got a group email today stating:

Hello all,

I just wanted to let each of you know that I have filed a warrant for crazy downstairs boy to appear in court on Oct 24. Yesterday I was in the parking lot getting something out of my jeep. He came out of his unit, picked up a brick that my next door neighbor normally uses, came over to me and told me that he was going to kill me. Then he put the brick back, and returned to his unit. A few minutes later he came back and told me that I startled him and wanted to know if I was ok and asked me if I was worried about his mother ??..??Needless to say I was a bit shocked.
So I carry an ax to and from my car now - and I'm considering purchasing a hand gun.

So crazy downstairs boy threatened to kill my downstairs neighbor today. I thought something was up when I came home today and saw his truck driving off with crazy boy walking after it talking. Both he and my next door neighbor are lucky that their jobs have them traveling out of town a lot where they can, hopefully, have some peace. Of course, their condos are worth nothing now since it was nearly impossible for the previous owners of their respective units to get out. Both the girl next door and the guy downstairs sold their units at a loss just to get out of the building.

I fear someone's going to end up a victim in order for the police to finally cart him off and it could be any one of us coming home or leaving at the wrong time. The authorities have no interest in him now as he's not crossed the line from threats into action yet. And city noise violations only apply to sound that is disturbing those outside the building - like the apartments next door. Only once or twice have I actually heard someone from the building beside ours yelling at him to please shut up. But "you can't argue with a sick mind".

Murray is back home again. Already, according to him, back to work and being yelled at constantly by his wife. Some things never change unless you make it change. But he's such a control-freak, I don't know if anyone could pry his hands off the remote.

Speaking of men who have dealt with stress, I miss Bryon Finkle. I wonder what he's up to now.

It's sunny. Cool. Quiet this morning. There was trouble going on downstairs last night. Someone yelling curses in and breaking glass in the wee hours. So it appears that the boys downstairs have, unfortunately, not moved out after all.

No word from Murray yesterday or today. He should be going home today.

Word on Murray, a.k.a. Maurice, is that he's feeling much better now. Doctors have gone in and implanted device to keep the arteries open. I'd be in the dark on most details if it weren't for friends filling me in. Thanks for keeping me informed.

Now I'm just planning the weekend and trying to stay motivated for next week. Tomorrow is the Party On The Pink Porch and Sunday will be the day of recovery. The weather was beautiful today. Dry and still just a bit overcast and cooler. Autumn is teasing me and coaxes me into better spirits.

More shifting of my universe and sleep deprivation.

Got a phone call at 2 a.m. this morning from Murray. He's in the hospital now from a heart attack. He phoned 911 when he started having the first symptoms yesterday. Doctors said he was about to have another, massive coronary.

Just two days ago I was talking with my mother about him, saying that I worry how long he's going to be around on this planet. He's got the perfect lifestyle for cardiac arrest or a stroke: high-stress at work followed by more stress at home, a junk food diet that he hasn't changed even after developing diabetes, no real exercise.

I spoke to Larry much later this morning and we both hope some good change comes into Murray's life as a result of this. He needs to stick around for his son and the friends who still really love him despite himself. I want to phone to check up on what his condition is, but I feel that might not be the thing to do since his wife might not be too fond of me.

Police came knocking on my door half an hour ago in referrence to a 911 call from the wild boys downstairs unit, which appears to be abandoned now. The window's been broken from the outside. The inside is trashed. The officer said it looked like no one had taken a bath or cleaned the place in years. I'm wondering if the worst is over now for that unit or if it's just beginning.

I must be positive. I must not think bad thoughts.

Walter says I have pretty fingers.

Walter says No comments:

Went to NetherWorld with Audrey last night. Much fun - it was the first haunted house either of us had been to since high school. Best part: the spinning tunnel illusion. Truth, the anti-smoking brigade, were set up in the parking lot with DJ's and RatMan, who was pointing out that both cigarettes and rat-poison contain cyanide.

Got back home and there were broom handles and a gas can strewn across the parking lot. There was a fish aquarium sitting on the wall of the atrium. The boys downstairs were very active all night. As late as 4 a.m. it sounded like furniture being thrown outside and against the interior walls. I pity my neighbors directly beside and above them. I was able to sleep with the usual earplugs, only waking long enough to put them back in my ears when they fell out in my sleep. I'm sure there was no escape for anyone closer if they were home last night.

Seems like my appointments today fell through mostly, but I have a new batch tomorrow.

Had dinner with Audrey and Nick at the new seafood place in East Atlanta, "Six Feet Under", located across the street from Oakland Cemetary. We ended up splitting a steamer bucket across the table.

Then I hung out at their place with them for a while watching bad sitcoms a trying to avoid being overly mauled and drooled on by their new dog, Sally, a pit bull mix with a brindle coat that's softer than velvet. She's a hyper-active monster child right now though. But she's really sweet at the same time - she'll let you do anything to her and expects the same back. This is not necessarily desirable in an animal who, if she really wanted to, could be the Jaws Of Death.

Thinking about Halloween as different friends are starting their preparations now.
Hmm... what to do or be or be done to?

Upon finally daring to look in the mirror this morning, I look surprisingly well. Not the burnt out jack o'lantern look I should be displaying after a late night out followed by insomnia probably caused by too much seafood too late at night. I tossed and turned and finally got up from my empty growling stomach demanding to be refilled. the four cups of coffee probably didn't help either.

But hey, I'm good now and looking forward to getting together with Jae this afternoon.

At last it's raining here. I can hear it coming down outside my window. The air is a good 10 degrees cooler today and it's wonderful.

Tonight is my girl's night with Ms. Lee. Hopefully this evening will be a lot of fun for us despite a few males wanting to crash the party.

Today I saw someone run a convertible through an automated carwash for the first time. I didn't know you could do that with a convertible.

Which Star-Crossed Marvel Lover Are You?

You are most like Basil, assaulted by bears! Created by Thren. Which Gashlycrumb Tiny are you?

The boys downstairs have been really loud this week. Some people just don't want to take their meds and you can't force them to... Lots of things slamming around down there at all hours and voices rapping in the parking lot. But eventually things must swing back down, whether they want them to or not.

In the words of Miss Tree:

Some days it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps
in the morning.

Spent yesterday with a severe sleep deficit. Feeling much better today after an in-bed marathon over the last 24 hours.

Take The Goth Type Test

Tonight is Bingo Night. Maybe I'll win a paddle or a velvet Elvis if I show up. :)

Had a lovely time seeing Merry Wives of Windsor with friends at the Shakespeare Tavern last weekend. I seem to have a healthy social life for someone broke and vaguely paranoid around new people. The other big event of the weekend was the grand opening of Liberty Tattoo on Ponce de Leon Avenue.


This coming weekend is going to be jam-packed with fun. DragonCon happens this week down town.
Ms. Kelly Hogan will be performing at the Echo Lounge in East Atlanta on Friday, August 30.
The same night, the Subsonics will be performing at the Star Community Bar in Little Five Points.
Also going on all weekend is the Starlight Drive-In Invasion 2002.
There's more happening this weekend than the 4th of July.

It's so hot and muggy today that nothing I can do will make me feel fresh. I feel grungy, steamy, sticky even indoors. My hair lies limp on my neck and face. My clothes stick to every inch of skin.

Had a frustrating dream last night - the recurring image of being in the office trying to complete several projects at once and not being able to find all the materials I needed. The job jackets and client folders were full of trash like tape scraps and the notes were sometimes written on scraps of paper placed anywhere. And, because it was a dream, all of the job instructions were illegible. I woke up grumpy today and have been in a mildly irritable mood all day. Trying to shake it and psyche up for a nice evening later. Seeking more order in my universe.

Christopher Lowell says:

Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.

Sig stolen from Seth's email:

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding
of ourselves. -- Carl Jung, psychiatrist (1875-1961)

It was dreadfully hot today with air quality listed as Code Red - not fit for anyone to be outdoors. The heat also seems to be affecting my sleep or lack there of.

Caught a mouse in my place yesterday. The little critter was rounding the corner when I spotted it. I cornered it in the closet it tried to hide in and picked it up by it's tail and carried it outside. Mice apparently don't enjoy being picked up by their tails - it screamed the entire trip outside - but what else could I do? I'm just glad it wasn't something larger in the same family.

I've got cabin fever tonight. I should be going through my shut down procedures getting ready for the inevitable early morning, but I really just want to take a long walk outdoors now that the city is cooling down.

I'm exceptionally artistic!
Find your soul type at

kelly.moranweb.com.

I am My Son!
Find your whimsy character
at kelly.moranweb.com.

Saw the new Austin Powers - Gold Member movie today. It's funny but contains even more potty humor than the previous two Austin Powerrs films. Should be a huge hit with adolescent males.

Friday, with the exception of the occasional afternoon shower, was beautiful. The rain brought with it cool air that made being outside tolerable. I went with Audrey to the Downtown Rocks show featuring The Violent Femmes. We met up with Kim and Harris and a couple that they knew. When we got to the edge of the crowd I said "It's all or nothing. Either we go all the way up front or stay back here where it's comfortable." Audrey and Harris joined me in walking to the sweaty throbbing front of the crowd for the duration of the Femmes performance. Had a great time that night.

Saturday was spent at Joy's birthday party, where I got to see Cam's evil clown motorcycle. The motorcycle's decoration and his costume are a creative work in progress.

Sunday we ate at the Brooklyn Cafe, where I had the vegetable canneloni. While the food was good, it does seem to be a lot better when Mr. P is there.

I'm still playing around with this blogger template. Experimenting with colors and links, etc. The code on the original template is a bit more involved than standard HTML. It would make a lovely birthday present in October if someone would give me a copy of the Blogging book.

Tonight is the full "thunder moon" of July. Lovely, cool night. Clear skies by nightfall - perfect for the Women's Night gathering here in Midtown at Loca Luna tapas restaurant followed by coffee at Caribou. Great conversation and joking about life, health, mattresses, family, love, babies, pets, etc. Got closer to nailing down plans for future gatherings as well.

My favorite thing I've discovered this week is the Standard Deviants video series.


What I learned yesterday:

The oil light on a car dash only indicates the oil pressure, not necessarily the amount of oil in the car. It could also indcate a bad pump or bad bearings, etc. Either way, never drive a car any further once the oil light comes on.

So, Maurice went back to New Jersey today. I've spent most of the morning and afternoon sleeping for some reason. Looks like the conditions are quite good for his company to open an office here. He expects to be back in Atlanta soon.

Busy today and tomorrow. Spent today with my neice and parents getting ready for her birthday party tomorrow. She and my mother have decided to have a Mexican fiesta theme for her day at the pool with friends and family.
Murray has arrived in Atlanta tonight to work on opening an office of his company here. He'll be in town til Thursday so I'll probably be spending a good bit of time with him while he's here.
I also have an appointment in Buckhead in the afternoon to make before Rachael's party so I'm sure I'll be worn out by the end of the day. Then I make an insane road trip on Tuesday. At least it won't be a boring week.

Was kind of a do-nothing day today. High point was watching a show on the project to clone the Tasmanian Tiger, a native, marsupial carnivore brought to intentional extinction by humans who were trying to recreate the flora and fauna of Europe at the time. I remember reading about that animal when I was a kid in grammar school. The last one died in 1936 in a zoo in Europe. I had a huge interest as a child in the recently extinct.

Spent today babysitting for Ray's daughter. Turned out to be very enjoyable and much easier than I thought it would be. She's a precocious, friendly little girl who likes the Beatles, Hello Kitty and the original Batman TV series among other things. I took her to the Botanical Garden where we spent most of the day while her dad was working.

Joy & Cam's backyard cookout thursday was great. Good group of people. Good home made eats. Great house and garden. And, as an early birthday gift, Cam gave Joy a trampoline! Everyone was trying it out all day - kids of all ages, gender, size, etc. were jumping, bouncing and giggling uncontrollably. Despite the oppressive heat, there was also a volleyball game going on most of the afternoon. At night, we were lucky enough to be able to see fireworks from the backyard. Some of the crowd ran down the sidewalk to get a view of the display unobstructed by the trees.
I came home tired, stickey, and happy.

Was going to see Viva Las Vegas at Screen On The Green in Piedmont Park, but thunderstorms blew into the city tonight. Stayed home and watched Frasier instead.

Looking forward to having my hair cut tomorrow. Got a free hairstyle coupon for a buckhead salon from a photo client that I am quite thankful for. I love scooby-snacks.

What I learned today:

Cremini mushrooms are really just baby portobello mushrooms.

I saw the most perverse thing on CBS this morning. They were showing film of a tearful mother apparently talking about the hate-crime murder of her gay teenage son. Then a minister comes on and, rather than condemning this kind of violence, starts explaining how the ACLU is everyone's enemy.

What I learned today:

You can trust a man with a dog because he knows he has to come home at night or clean up the mess in the morning.

Ha!



I'm completely down-to-earth!
Find your soul type at kelly.moranweb.com. >

Got this recurring dream.

I set a snake loose in the garden.

I only had the best intentions.

Wanted to help the little creature.

It seemed about to die in a rocky place.

I forgot that songbirds live in the garden.

Now there is a predator loose among them

and I don't have a way to take it back.

Watching Earth Girls Are Easy on TV tonight.
Jeff Goldblum is such a hottie.

I had a nicer time than I anticipated at the potluck yesterday. Met some nice people that I could actually come close to holding a conversation with and had some good home cooking. I'm awful at small talk and social graces. Mostly, at gatherings of strangers, I like to watch and try to stay out of the way.

Today I bought groceries and the sunday paper. Then went out to late lunch and hung out with Spike in east Atlanta.

Got to watch Farscape on someone else's television last night. Still mourning the loss of the SciFi Channel on my basic cable account.

Read in this month's Health magazine Tip of the Month: Socialize. Researchers found that soungbirds living in large groups have more new brain neurons than those alone. Those findings "indicate that flocking to social activities might be just the boost your brain needs."

With that in mind, I'm planning to go to a potluck neighborhood gathering today.

I'm finally home from my holiday in Paris, France. The city of Paris is beautiful. The people are beautiful. The food, wines, cheese, and bakeries are wonderful. The museums and history of the city are incredible. What can I say - it's Paris.

And I have my computer back and working again, too. Now I'm starting to settle back into a regular daily schedule again.

I'll be glad when I get my computer back from RetroTech.
I'll be glad to get my personal website back up and running.
It's been a beautiful sunny day here in Atlanta. Tomorrow I fly out of town.

My computer is in the shop this week, so I'm having to depend on the kindness of friends who let me log online using their machines this week. Next week I'm in Paris and I pray I can leave all my cares behind for the week, drinking the waters of the the river Lethe.

Note to self this week:
Most the people are wonderful, but some people do suck and will always refuse to get along with anyone no matter how hard others try to be nice to them.
Focus on the positive.

Dreamed about Moby last night, which is probably a much more wholesome image than the Tim Curry dream a while back.
I'm working on positive personal imagery these days.

Started the day visiting fruit stands and buy fresh tomatos that are in season now.
Still have to do lat minute things for my trip to France at the end of the month.

Mothers Day Shopping today. Will the gift be a hit or will it end up still in the original shrink wrap years later? It's the effort that counts.

Checked out the new Apple store at Lenox Square today, which makes me very happy.

Take the What High School Stereotype Are You? quiz, by Angel.

OmyGod - it was so slow at work that they sent me home after just half
a day.

My paycheck will suck air this week.

Last night was fun, though. Went with Sandy to see Lord Of The Rings
(finally!) at the huge Hollywood 24 movie megaplex. It was a long film
but I swear it went by so quickly I never felt the squirming impatience
that I usually get halfway through a movie. Really great stuff and very
true to the books except where necessary - and then the bits were simply
extrapolated, not changed.

It was a slow Monday at the office. Probably just as well that things were slow today because the film processor was down all day. Something about the power going out over the weekend has caused something to stop working. Thankfully, a few small jobs came trickling in at the end of the day for me to work on in the morning.

Sunday, went to see the matinee of SpiderMan. Fun action flick - Spidey was one of my favorite comic books when I was a kid. Followed by going shopping at ShoeMakers Warehouse but not finding anything I liked in my size or price range (probably a blessing of sorts).

Spike came by and hung out with me in the evening, watching food TV and sampling the vegan enchiladas I made the night before. Watching all the Cinco de Mayo themed cooking shows, I voiced some regret at not going out for "real" mexican cooking and a margarita as the host of A Cook's Tour drank shots of tequilla. It was 11 p.m. and his consolation was "there's no place to have a margarita on a Sunday in Atlanta anyway" "yes there is- at a restaurant." "Okay. Lets go now if you want a margarita" at which point I wimped out for fear of being out too late when I had to get up early the next morning.

Which LOTR Woman are you?

Signs of Spring:
I looked in my closet this morning and could hardly find anything I liked.
Of the few things I did like, I couldn't find anything to wear with them.
Must be a chick thing.


... but I do really dig my new pink sneakers.

Twas a lovely weekend.

Saturday - went to see Live Faust and Die Young at the Center For Puppetry Arts. Bobby Box has come up with a new deadly sin that I quite agree with in his retelling of the story of Faust.

Sunday - hung out in East Atlanta with Spike. Cruised by Audrey and Nick's to look at houses for sale in the neighborhood. Introduced Spike to the new Vegan restaurant there now. Got some new pink Converse high top sneakers! Picked up a pair in violet while I was at it as well.

Still hunting for the perfect small urban messenger bag. Something I can carry on me when I go to Paris next month as well as a work-day bag.

Once again, another quiet day.

Hopefully it'll stay that way.

No email or phone calls from James tonight for me. That's good.
No one else has mentioned him so I will choose to believe all is quiet on the front.

Otherwise, was a good day at work. Planning to get some sleep tonight.

So, James phoned my mother today - just when I think well, maybe he's gotten tired of this rage and can lick his wounds, real or imagined, alone and quietly. She said he was strangely calm and very inquisitive as to what I was up to and who E.K. is and what he's like. He called her by her first name. That's all she said he really had to say. Spoke to her like he had no idea anything was wrong. I apologized for his behavior dragging her and my father into this.

I'm sure he put on his own new-age Eddie Haskel style face like "Goodness, what could be wrong with our Jules?" or some such odd speak.

What to do. I'm just refusing to reward this behavior with any contact. This is no one's fight.

Thursday night I was exhausted and decided to take my chances, have a long shower and sleep in my own bed. Audrey and Nick said I was welcome to stay with them again but I decided to hunker down here as long as there were no James sightings. Told my two immediate neighbors the situation and exchanged phone numbers with them. There were a few phone calls around 4 AM that I didn't answer. My guess is they were just to wake me up anyway.

Friday there was a flow of nasty and then challenging and then all out odd emails.

Subject: News you may or may not want to know...
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 12:35:22 -0400
From: James Clark

I'm finally getting some relief from my overactive kundalini.
I'm working with a lady in Sacramento who has helped a lot.

Jules, I've been talking with Gwen Presnell.
I have spoken to her at length on the telephone.
I'm been checking into information she gave me.

Do you have any objections?

James


Saturday has been quiet, thankfully.

My now-former friend James has decided to become a stalker. Last night, I slept at
Audrey and Nick's house. I was coming home after making photos of a friend's band
- it was around 11:20 at night - and I saw him walking around my driveway, so I just
kept driving.

He was dressed like a ghost of the 80's in skinny black stretchy or
leatherette pants and a red muscle shirt with his hair pulled back in a pony tail.

I believe he's having a nervous breakdown.

I can not save him.

My weekend was interesting. I had a very good time hanging with Djeto and
his friends and band mates Friday and Saturday. It was an excellent re-inforcement
of positive male images for my psyche.

A little rant:

Saturday evening, I got a call from a friend that had a tone
to it just odd enough to set off alarms inside - So, I had to tell him
I was not interested in expanding the perimeters of our friendship (i.e.
I will not , do not want to, have sex or become romantically involved with
him.) That, as expected, got a really nasty accusatory response from him
that soon evolved into him:

1. trying to make me feel as guilty as possible about abandoning him
in his moment of need

2. saying I wanted it all along even if I wasn't aware of it - I was
sending out signals to him.

3. perhaps something is seriously wrong with me for running from love.

4. he is dealing with such huge abandonment issues that he is feeling
suicidal.

And the irony is - none of his words were anything I hadn't heard before
from other men in very emotionally challenging times like just after a
divorce, trying to prove their own heterosexuality or, in his case, the
nearing death of a loved one combined with a mid-life crisis. I feel sorry
for him, but I also know I can't save him and forming a falsehood like
that would only make matters much much worse. I never said I was not his
friend. I told him I would continue to be his friend. He wasn't interested
in hearing that.

How does a person best deal with that?

The maraschino was I ran into another old pal in L5P this weekend and
related this event to him and my hope that it doesn't turn ugly. He told
me he's on the other side of that coin right now as he is in his words,
totally out of his mind right now trying to stop himself from stalking
his ex-wife. Then he showed me the cuts on his hand (this is not a L5P
character- he's a regular yuppie working-class Joe, no criminal record,
etc.) and explained how they came from smashing in her window when she
wouldn't answer the door. Said he got to meet her new boyfriend then.

man-oh-man

You can not fuck a person into happiness.
Friends don't expect that from each other.

No one can save another person from themselves. We can certainly aid each other and provide support and strength, but ultimately we are responsible for ourselves. Just like no one can expect to "fix" an alcoholic or addict of any other kind.

No friendship is immune from sexual expectation. My grandmother says "The penis rules the world." and perhaps she is right.

I maintain my right to say no. I also maintain my right to protect myself from disasters I can see forming in the distance when others are still oblivious. I would like to say I've been proven wrong on my assumptions in the past, but I never have. I have, tragically, been right in my gut feelings every time and repeatedly have to remind myself of this when I try to ignore my instincts.

I am sorry if that makes some people feel like I'm cold and unloving. I give love freely and have good friends I would do anything for. This kind of sacrifice will not help anyone and will only make matters much much worse.

Long days at work still but they're getting better.

I will be in purgatory again on getting back with Gwen's family for two more weeks.

Got home before 7 p.m. today. Made rice for dinner and watched The Osbournes on MTV, my new favorite show.

Tired. Bored. Frustrated. Lonely.

I got this email Saturday in reference to my making an appointment with my doctor on the possiblities of a bloodtest to prove, once and for all, if Gwen and her family are really my blood reatives.

Subject: You want answers?
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 10:39:33 -0500
From: GwenPresnell@netscape.net (Gwen Presnell)

When your sister, Jennifer, told me about you wanting a blood test, my immediate
responce was now I don't like being acused of lying. If you want the whole story, ask
Lorretta and Jim, your parents, or Sadie and Joe Gabriel in Smyrna, GA-who got us all
together. Joe worked in Lockeed and so did Lorretta, so he knew about her wishing for
children.

I can't really afford expensive testing, but I bleed so much these that I could
easily send some DNA to you. I'll be at my other daughter's.
Mon, so you could call me there. The phone number is (321)632-3316.
Jennifer thinks you hate me for giving you up. Do you? If so I guess I don't
blame you, but I could never have raised you as well as they did.
Love,
Mama Gwen
--
E-mail is nice, but face to face is better.

But first, I have to fix or replace my computer.

Rumors of my death are greatly exagerated. I'm just very very busy this week.

This week at work has been kinda crazy -been working on average 9AM till 10 PM every night. Mostly just me working while everyone else sits around waiting for me to finish the big awards program and newsletters that are coming in. I'm starting to get kinda tired of being an art department of one. Today it was suggested that I wasn't working fast enough by one of the people just sitting around talking to the client on the phone and telling them it's just fine to make even more changes in layout and copy while I'm trying to finish the job.

Quite a Monday.

I arrived home from work just a few minutes ago.

Now I have to decide what's for dinner - ramen or popcorn?

My downstairs neighbor smokes way too much pot. I came home tonight to find my place reeking of pot smoke (which smells a lot like dog poop to me) seeping up through the hardwood floors of my condominium. This is another reason I really really want a house rather than a shared building.

It's freezing cold outside tonight. I'm bored but not enough to venture outside.
SoyBoy Tofu Ravioli with marinara for dinner tonight.
Reading about "Saki...Wine Of The Future"
Thinking about putting pen to paper.

Nothing but calls and errands tonight. Some of which I've been able to do during the day and some I've still got to try to do tomorrow. Still trying straighten out problems with my airline ticket to Paris. Seems as though they got my zip code wrong on the credit card bill and now my ticket's in limbo until I can phone during office hours tomorrow to straighten things out.

I think I've bruised my right hip forcing open the sticky laundry room door at home tonight so I could wash my clothes here rather than go to the Laundry Lounge where I might be followed again by the scarey guy who approached me last time I was there. My condo building sucks and I'll be so very happy when I can move out of this place and into a house of my own. A house where I can have my own washer and dryer. A house that I can keep the roof and masonry in proper repair without waiting for anyone's permission. A house where I don't have to deal with the neighbor's pot smoke seeping up throught the floor.

I've made arrangements for a doctor's appointment and consultation on getting a genetics bloodtest to find out if I could actually be Gwen's daughter or not.

Thingies above my ceiling are moving around tonight, but that's actually become somewhat entertaining to me.

Had a night of disturbing dreams - all of them featuring my car.
The first dream was that I found an old homeless man making himself at home in my car and while I needed him out of my car, I didn't want to deprive him of his only shelter. I told him he was welcome to use it at night if he didn't run the battery down.
The next dream was that I'd left my car in another lot over night and when I came back to get it the next morning, someone had stolen my drivers-side front door. The door had been taken cleanly and completely off the car. My thought was "How am I going to fix this?"

It's been a very odd day for me. I received this message via email this morning:

Subject: MOM
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 12:12:28 EST
From: Jlsrrt2@aol.com

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS A LOT SINCE YEST. TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT TO SAY TO YOU AND BOTTOM LINE IS I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. I AM SORRY IF YOU ARE UPSET WITH MOM BECAUSE SHE GAVE YOU UP FOR ADOPTION BUT AT THE TIME EVERYONE AROUND MOM MADE HER FEEL LIKE SHE HAD TO. SHE HAS NEVER STOPPED LOVING YOU. I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE ROOM IN YOUR HEART FOR YOUR ADOPTED FAMILY AND YOUR BLOOD FAMILY? I AM YOUR BLOOD SISTER AND I WOULD LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU YET EVERY EFFORT I HAVE MADE HAS BEEN IGNORED. TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR YOU TO GET TO KNOW MOM, YEST. WE FOUND OUT HER CANCER IS BACK.
PLEASE LET MOM SEE YOU ONE MORE TIME BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. YOU CAN BRING SOMEONE WITH YOU IF YOU WANT JUST PLEASE COME.


PLEASE CALL, JENNIFER SWITZER


I get a very weird vibe from this message, but if there is any chance of it being true and these being my actual blood relatives, I'd hate to miss this.
What I really really want is a blood test by an outside party to confirm whether or not I have a genetic tie to this woman. Her name is Gwen Presnel.
She now lives in Florida with her youngest daughter.

These aren't the only people who have contacted me via the internet to say they are my biological relatives but they are the most persistant. I have no way of knowing if they're right or not.

Anyone want to make a weekend road trip with me to meet this person? Maybe next week or the one after that?

Still suffering from a huge case of sleepiness.
At this point, I assume my body is trying to fight off some small invader.

I do not think I will do laundry tonight.

I think I need to buy more pants.

Was too tired and sleepy to go out. Went to bed early instead.

It's raining. My roof is leaking again. @#$%@!

I can never control what my subconscious is doing.
Last night I had an erotic dream about Tim Curry.

Also just found out Pam and Seth ran off and got married yesterday. Congratulations.
I guess all that wedding planning was just too much to deal with.

None of the webjournals by other people that I like to regularly check have been updated since last weekend.
So I might as well write in my own journal tonight.

The Twistin Tarantulas photos, though not glossy pages material, came out a lot better than I thought. I'm lucky sometimes like that. The gods of light and glass smile upon my efforts enough to keep me happy on a regular basis.

Looks like I may be going to Paris instead of Rome this year. Got the go-ahead at work for the days I asked for and Kevin is trying even as I type this to add me to his itinerary. Cool. It'll be my first trip out of the country with my hard-won passport. The Federal Government simply could not be convinced for years that my amended adoptee birth certificate was adequate proof of my U.S. Citizenship. That's always been completely outrageous to me. But now, I guess I've got no more reason to gripe except to say 'about time!'

Now, how should I pack for the trip? Bare minimum I suppose to make it through the airport security with the least amount of hassle or heartache. Gonna have to keep a good journal/sketchbook.

blogger.com

There's something large and possibly furry living in building between the ceiling and the roof above my bath & bedroom. I can hear it walking around and scratching itself at night. I tapped on the ceiling at the spot where the sound seemed to be coming from tonight. That silenced whatever it was for a minute until it forgot about my knocking and started scratching again.

I've had a couple of good, interesting nights this week.
Last Night, Wednesday, I made it - although quite late - to the Railroad Earth group show & performance at Eyedrum.

Tuesday, I was able to nap and then catch the set of the Twistin' Tarantulas at the Echo Lounge. It was a small crowd - I guess from the fact that it was a Tuesday night as well as the blast of cold air that came into my city that day. Coldest night in a month. But despite the small turnout everyone played like the room was full. Fun swing/rockabilly covers of old punk songs as well as originals. Not too many rockabilly bands play any original material, which is a shame. "Pistol Pete" is great live standup bass player who loves what he does.

Had a lovely dinnner at the home of Audrey and Nick. Grouper (cooked perfectly) in a tamaron(sp?) sauce with couscous followed by fresh baked cherry pie and coffee. Then got to enjoy their HBO watching The Sopranos and Six Feet Under before calling it a night. Really cute - it was me and Audrey on the futon with four sleeping kittens on my right, a sleeping dog (Bismark) between us and one sleeping husband on the left of Audrey. At one point one kitten and Nicky were gently snoring in stereo - made both of us chuckle.
This is another night that I'm truly grateful to have such good friends.

I am bored and wish I was at Nomenclature tonight but the weather is icky and I'm in a rented car that I'm much too worried about scratching or denting, etc. to drive when I don't really need to. Wish a handsome goth prince would show up on my doorstep to escort me into the night.
hahahahaha

Having a kinda blah day. Made a huge mistake in putting off the things I wanted to do last night to go to a family dinner that I just didn't fit in at.
I need motivation, a lover, new shoes, a good cup'o'joe.

Take The Goth Type Test

Take the
What animal best portrays your sexual appetite?? Quiz

Watching the President's state of the union address tonight.
All very predictable. Talk of heeros and eevil.
Best part was talk about national healthcare.
Worst part was roundabout talk of increasing corporate welfare.

"Let's roll." - Todd Beamer on Flight 93, 9/11/01

Better living through technology.
I got my new cordless phone & answering unit yesterday. It's amazing how spoiled I got being able to walk around my place and even outdoors to do laundry while chatting. When the old unit died totally (one part went at a time over the last few months) I was resigned to staying plugged into the wall in one room to talk. Now I can do something constructive while I'm keeping up with things outside my home. This model has a big improvement over my last phone. The new phone has an earpiece jack, so I can be completely hands free.



Take
the Which They Might Be Giants member are you? Quiz!

My grandmother has been phoning me daily since my parents went to St. Augustine, Florida just to "get away" and "take a break" for a few days. Suddenly, I feel like the parent of my parents in an odd, second-hand way. Anywho, if they are there to get away from things, I'm not about to phone them and blow that for them. On the upside, I've been chatting a lot more with my grandmother this week, which is great. I love my grandma.

...and I am sadly very slack about calling her.

She gave me a wakeup call this morning right when I had rolled over like I usually do, after the alarm. I wish I could just ask her to do that for me every weekday.

src='http://www.moralminority.org/quizresults/myke.jpg' border='1'>
Which Moral Minority persona are you? by href='http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=phatjoe'> src='http://img.livejournal.com/userinfo.gif' align='absmiddle' width='17'> href='http://www.livejournal.com/users/phatjoe/'>phatjoe

I am now the proud owner of a Hello Kitty rice cooker. It has a very friendly smooth round shape and the outside is a happy candy pink color. I needed it. It's just the right size for a single person like me - produces just three cups of cooked rice.

I went to a girlfriend's party last night where I shared this news with anyone who looked like they could appreciate it. Was actually a fun party filled with people I hadn't seen in quite a while. There were a few odd-vibe emitting individuals but only very few. Mostly all good intelligent creative souls who were glad to be there. I brought a friend who was also an old beau from many many years ago with me. That was intriguing to the hostess because she wanted to do a little routine we had years ago where I would list all of my boyfriends while she listed all the cars she had owned but I left the party when I started yawning way too much before doing it. Didn't have time to get my nap in after work. Maybe I should have had coffee.

Tired as I was, we still ended up in a discussion on men, women and other human relationships in the parking lot for nearly an hour when I took him home.

Got a call last night from Audrey and Nick thanking me for taking care of the house and cats. Their flight had been delayed last night and they'd gotten in three hours later than expected. Thanks to Charlie for taking over the morning/afternoon house duties on Monday for me. The house and kitties are fine and happy now.

Worked on paper mache tonight and put off baking for another night this week. So many good intentions. I am the Queen of Procrastination at home.

Speaking of timing, it seems to always be a social awkwardness with me. I never know how long to stay. Often I'm either the first to leave or I stay all night till the bitter end and beyond.

Tonight I saw the best episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" ever.
It was a perspective episode. Perspective episodes of any series always intrigue me. I know everyone lives in a different reality. I know that my brother and I grew up with two entirely different families. If I ever had the opportunity, it is one of my great desires to have a serious conversation with my little brother over drinks (or a similar a de-inhibition agent) about our respective lives.

Feeling kinda blue today. I believe it's just from physical fatigue.

House sitting for some friends with four small kittens teaches me that while my allergies can handle a single dog or cat with the limitation that I just wash my hands often, I can't really handle four kittens constantly climbing on me and sitting on my head and shoulders. Weather permitting, I think I'll try to come home tonight after feeding the fish and kibbling the kitties so I can go to work in one peice.
Otherwise, it's kinda fun changing neighborhoods for a weekend. East Atlanta, although not actually "gentrified" is actually a good place to live. I wish the owners of the little grocery there would give their store a facelift both in appearance and in stock. I also wish there was a closer pharmacy.

You must really hate yourself. You're cynical and self-loathing, the epitome of the Prozac poster child. No guy in his right mind would touch you with a ten foot pole. You've had some odd adventures in your day and hopefully, in the future one of your strange journeys will lead you to a tiny shred of happiness...or atleast a good shrink. Poopy train.
Take The "Which Kevin Smith Female Are You?" Quiz!!

Looking at Bastard.com source code I see this:

content="In Heb. 12:8, the word (Gr. nothoi) is used in its ordinary sense, and denotes those who do not share the privileges of God's children.">
title>bastard

oooooh. spooky.

Take the
What Should Your New Year's Resolution Be? Quiz

It's been snowing since this morning. Too warm to stick really but now it's been snowing so heavily and so long that there's a nice coat of slush and ice on everything. I parked down the street to avoid having to deal with the steep driveway here - living on top of the hill, it can be a wild sleigh ride down onto the street on icey mornings. If it had been just 5 degrees colder today and yesterday, tomorrow might be a "snow day" home from work but I'll have to go in the morning. If only I had an extra vacation day to spend tomorrow. Then I could sleep in and let everything outside melt off for a day.

New Years was quiet. Not bad but I hope that doesn't mean the entire year will be so uneventful and easy to forget. I watched television until the pot smoke from the boys on the floor below drove me out of my living room, chatted on the phone for a long time and eventually dozed off. Looked at the clock at 12:02 and decided that was two minutes too late to make any New Years phone calls. Back to sleep until morning.