mizarchivist

Things that are great:

• Tax refund, and not even all of it!


• Paying bills all and early because of cash infusion.


• Being excited to be able to do that bill paying without anxiety.


• Spreading the wealth to quiet_elegance a bit.


• New sneakers, courtesy of aint_it_hard in honor of my birthday, which are totally black (Asics). No neon. (This is my third time around with this style/brand. Nobody else seems to get the concept of all black sneakers)


• Being able to leave my old shoes behind at City Sport, as they apparently recycle or donate them.


• Fancy coffee drinks normally not purchased, but I'm rich today.


• Free lunch, courtesy of work. Tasty bbq chicken. Good thing I like it, as there's still a lot of left over. They brought us a bucket of butter. Butter pats, actually. Bucket of Butter is my Paula Dean cover band. I don't even care that she doesn't have a band. If ever she did, she has a ready-made cover band waiting.

I did mention the coffee right? Yep! 

- The baby is getting up incrementally earlier every morning. Today was new record of 4:45
+ I was nice to quiet_elegance and let him sleep and I played with the baby
+ I found some dark cloth to cover the not-very-light reducing blinds in our room (maybe will help? Might need to cancel out the goddamn bird twitters with a white noise generator)
- ipod being dumb
+ hey, I have an ipod. That's a nice thing. It's probably fine. I can pay attention when the universe tells me to unjack from the tech for a bit.
+bike ride
? Will it rain? Probably. But! Maybe not at 5:30 when I go home. I'm pretty sure I'm still not water-soluble. 
+ I have the office to myself. This is good because
- I'm tired and insanely rambly. 

I rarely talk about tv/movies these days, however, this is worthy.
Thanks to my Aunt Wendy, who said "Better than the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice," I started watching Downton Abbey last night (finished the pilot this morning- which is saying something. Normally I don't watch videos before work). I have the zeal of the newly converted, planning to watch ep. 2 tonight. I already checked PBS to see if they have all of season 2 available: why yes- until early March. So. There. I see myself forgoing all other tv/movie watching at home in favor of this until I'm up to date. 

So, despite the usual several interruptions to my sleep, I'm entirely stoked. If you are already in the fan club, feel free to ping me to gush about it, but please note: I've managed to stay entirely spoiler-free thus far beyond a few unavoidable deductions from screen captures attached to the current episodes. 

Fangirl goes... Squee!

I told the gym that I'd be going on hiatus in May. I rarely can manage more than once a week, which is not cost-effective. I have been doing well with filling in gaps at home with DVDs, and it's almost bike season. I feel a bit bad about it, particularly since I feel the gym is struggling, but I also need to do what's right by me. They can put my membership on hold for 6 months, which should be about right if all goes well.

The agent sent us a great listing today. It's in Arlington, decent location- not as great as I'd like, but so much potential. Sadly, there's no pictures of the inside. It's for May 1, which is a bit soon- may need to do some over-lap (and really get in on that packing thing). We have the street address so all of us are likely to do our own recon today.

Musical Note: I added Zoe Keating to my Laurie Anderson station on Pandora. Wow, is this fun.  If you want me to share said station with you, let me know and I'll email you.

quiet_elegance  and I had a date last night out at The Foundry in Davis. This was after a bit of socializing (for the first time in months at Diesel). I have high marks to assign. The service was exceptionally attentive. Food was entirely tasty. They have poutin, too. Holy cow. They mixed me something that was like a lime rickey. q_e enjoyed both the beer and the Manhattan. Not cheap, but considering the booze not that unusual. Particularly if you appreciate a bit of extra attention from the staff.

Still no word on work for him, but he's 2nd in line for apprentice work (out of dozens, if not at least a hundred). That's fantastic. Hoping hoping hoping for something that will be high quality and with some longevity.

Between the coffee I didn't even finish and all the half-thoughts I have in my head, I'm wholly without work focus right now.

Part 1- talking about art stuff-( Craft Fair )

( Etsy )

( craft fair prep-fueled anxiety dream )

Part 2- I actually do other things sometimes-
( KT Tunstall concert )

( Travel )

( Work )

( State of (un)employment for q_e )

I've now been writing for a damn long time and need to stop now.

- thought I turned off my alarm, only to have it go off (probably for the best since I'd fallen asleep again)
- made coffee! Yay!... then forgot that I'd made and brought with me to drink at work and made another cup here.
- I have 2 meetings this morning
- - -
OK. that could be a lot worse, but it doesn't bode well.

Other thing: Yahoo Games tech/customer support determined that Alchemy and Windows 7 are just not compatible. I have been offered the alternative of Some Other Game offered by Yahoo to download in its place.
I loved Alchemy. Loved.  Features of excellence:
-not forced to do a timed game
-can walk away and pick it back up
-some strategy
-patterns
Do you, LJ-Land, have a favorite game one can get via Yahoo that has similar features?

2 weeks ago, our favorite sushi chef noted his facebook presence. Yesterday I commented that I could bring him some sea shells per his request, this morning he replies back, then pings me in IM to see when we'll be in so he can be ready.
I basically circumvented the restaurant machinery and got to make a personal reservation with our chef with intimations of what we might like to have first (Korean style salad). Yeah. Totally. Awesome. We're getting a few extra treats because of the shells. Plus tomorrow's quiet_elegance 's observed birthday, so there'll be something to acknowledge that since it came up in conversation last week.

Squee?... Yes. Squee.

*headdesk*
I hit the wrong button and lost my entry halfway through. This will be a very short version:
- I helped missdimple  move yesterday. I'm very glad I did- it went smoothly considering, but today is a 2 cup of coffee day what with the expected results of box-hauling. The second cup actually is helping so I don't necessarily have to hide in my office all day.
- I have a new composter, and it is awesome! I had hoped for an R2-D2 shaped one, like my neighbors have, but instead it's much more dalek shaped.  On further reflection, I believe the one I originally referred to as R2 shaped can be interpreted just as easily as dalek. If anyone has a better match for the square one I do have, I'm happy to entertain nicknames.
- Movies recently watched: Slumdog Millionaire, Up in the Air. Both left me with a bit of a "...huh" feeling, but both reasonably well done.
- Movie to see soon: zomg-IRONMAN!... just sayin'. Scarlet Johansson.
- Lexington was rather ghost-townish on Saturday since all the food-selling establishments, including ice cream parlors and movie theaters, were ordered to close. I expected zombies or tumbling tumbleweeds in the mostly abandoned parking lots. Aside from being thwarted from my ice cream fix, this water thing is a non-thing on the scale of bothersome things. Not so much for 80% of the gym-goers today. shrug. Don't know. Don't care.

Right. I have videos to make for work. Did I mention that the upgraded software and my computer are not getting on well and my computer will show its displeasure with a solid blue motif after a while? Yeah, not a good thing. Fingers crossed.

Durn it- I still need to get a fresh motorcycle icon. This'll do.
Since I'm out and about this evening on the far side of town and it's a gym day, I was out on the road by 6. The sun was just pinking up the sky, and wearing 3 layers of pants (turns out my workout pants fit under work fit under riding) plus a leather jacket and a scarf. So cozy! I still have issues with the sleeves of my Vanson being too long, but I love my jacket too much to alter it now. I keep hoping with time the leather will scrunch enough to work better. Or beefier gauntlets.
I know from here on out the roads are going to be overrun by crazy students and their crazy parents in overstuffed cars or -god help us- moving vans. But not at 6, oh no. It was deliciously empty most of the way. The only eeeeeep moment was when I was taking one of those somewhat narrow laned curves on Fresh Pond Pkwy. See, there's this imperfection in the road just as you take a curve on the inside- if you're not on the high part of that imperfection, you slide off into the other lane a bit. Augh! By the grace of the motor gods, the lady next to me was chill and not crowding the lane. Also, it's clear I'm not quite savvy as I'd like with left turns and curves as much as I'd like on 'Trix. Geh. (if I'd been riding the past month that wouldn't be a thing at this point. Fail!) Aaaaanyway- the Charles was looking so very beautiful with the sunrise and buildings reflecting off the water. I took lightniing  and bryttan 's advice and parked over by the Marriott in Kendall. Mind you, I was the first bike in (at 6:25), but the spot I picked had the look of bike parking. So, for those not doing the math: it took me about 20 minutes to drive from Lexington to Kendall Sq. And that was with an overshoot at MGH, too. ^_^
The gym- despite a creaky and crampy start successfully woke me up and I'm entirely loving the variation in my breakfast right now- 1/3 the amount of yogurt & granola I normally  eat, half a croissant (with lemon curd!), and one hard boiled egg < /Groucho >. But there really is a hard boiled egg. Just the one. snerk. And obviously- coffee. This ramble is entirely fueled by coffee.

My garden is quite amazing. I've been a bad plant parent to this current season and not documenting with pictures hardly at all. So not surprised. If ever I have 2 kids, there probably won't be any pictures of the second. OK, maybe not. But it feels like that ;)  I'm waiting for the broccoli to start showing signs of florets, though. Hmph! But the beans are totally nuts and climbing anything that stands still long enough to get caught in their tendrils (eee!)- They've got flowers now in parts, so edibles to arrive sooner than later. My Topsy Turvey (TM) is now out along with the homemade one- a drywall mud bucket with holes in the bottom - well, the plant is getting scary big. The "official" one was just planted on Saturday outside so it hasn't taken off. What I found so cool was that it almost immediately started to grow towards the sun. Plants are bendy!  Oh, and the red leaf lettuce has loved this rain so much. And there are too many bunnies in my neighborhood. Every time I see one near my garden I yell in a grumpy mom voice, but in the exasperated I still love you way.

lifecollage  invited me over for dinner last night, which was as excellent as I expected. Holy crap, is their veggie farm share huuge. I don't think I could handle that much all in one week. Especially since I don't have a chest freezer like she does (I totally would if our *&^%$ house's electricity in the basement could withstand the juice it would require. Trust me. It can't.) I need to see if I can recount a conversation we had about interacting with those who've survived a geek childhood and have the scars to prove it- the bit in question was about why it can be so damn hard to get proactive conversations/actions from these very lovely people. Anyway- I know I'm not up to the task of the recounting and pondering at this point, but I want to so this is the bookmark for later.

I got home in time to watch week 2 of Dancing. I think last week was a bit stronger (the whole first week adrenaline), but I'm ever so pleased to see choreographers back, particularly Shane Sparks. Yay, the dancing!

So, I'm going to Wisconsin for work in a week and a few days. For one reason and another, I need to get a pedicure before I return home, and I managed to find a relatively close salon and got the appointment. I love the interwebs! Thank you Google Maps. I'm fixated on trying a gothy French manicure style: black with white tips. How very Druscilla, eh? 

This weekend's plans are going to be awesome, I think. If all goes according to plan, I'll have sushi with quiet_elegance  on Friday. Until I started going to Teppenyaki with him and sitting at the sushi bar, I thought their fare was pretty ho-hum. Now I love it. But really, it's all about spending time with q_e- getting out of the usal distractions of being in the house. /schmoop. And Saturday is going to be non-stop. As always: diner for breakfast with purple_terror  with the requisite snark given and taken from our favorite waitress, Grammy. Then the long anticipated pool party. Looking at the weather makes me a bit sad, though, as it looks to be a bit chilly and almost certainly damp. Meh. I depend on the finer weather to keep me in what is otherwise a seething horde of humanity. Dinna want to be stuck inside! Let's hope things change because I want to see the spinning. And I want to see weegoddess  and everyone else, but especially our Actual Size redhead. The end of the evening will be at the charity screening of Serenity at Coolidge Corner: Can't Stop the Serenity- all proceeds go to Equality Now. They're starting the screening this year with Dr. Horrible, so bonus. Since it's a midnight screening, I suspect I'll be doing a whole lot of nothing on
Sunday.

ETA:
Oh! And I almost forgot that I have to thank jasra  (again) for pointing me towards greasemonkey for Firefox and facebook purity. I had been spending a lot of time being irritated with otherwise lovely people who kept spamming me with their effing quiz results and application crap. So. Don't. Care. That add-on blocks all that. Thank you, internet gods for this! I'm clearly not the only one spending more time on FB (and probably Twitter, which I still only stalk via RSS) because when once not that long ago I'd have to page back quite a bit to catch up after being gone for many hours/ a day, I sort of don't have to, however I really do with FB. Well, hey. FB for the mini posts, LJ for the more thoughtful commentary. I hope!