Sunday, January 28, 2007

Weekend Update

Sunday morning lazyness. Listening to NPR after about 3 hours of sleep. Yes, I did some drinking last night so am up 'early' this morning.

The downtown hangout next to my old job, Octane Interlounge, famous for it's high prices and abyssmal service, had a big 10th Birthday party last night. Since I've been spending a bit more time there, using their Wi=Fi, I wanted to go. And to invite and hang out with S. She was just coming in from out of town and arrived late, but we had several drinks, and a great long chat about people and relationships. We then moved to a cheaper music bar Kryptonite, whose prices have also gone up, and closed down that place. A fun night of expensive drinking, but a long overdue catch-up with a dear friend.

Winter is hanging on here in N. IL. We got snow a while back, and have had cold weather since, so it's still hanging around. Then last night, about the time I was leaving for the bar, it started flurrying again. We're supposed to get a little more today, but we'll see how little it really is.

The cold weather has also driven some mice into the house. So needless to say, there are times that the cats are very intent at the undersides of appliances or furniture. We decided to get serious when Wife caught a mouse climing out of one of the bird cages, raiding THEIR food. I've set out some traps, and keep moving them to keep the mice on their toes. I've done the live traps before, but they're not as effective, and not as easy to set, bait and release (or, dare I say it, satisfying to my primitive, vindictive, rodent exterminating side.) , so I've gone with the traditional spring/snap traps (and they're cheap).
Last night as I came in, just inside the front door there was a box, upside down, with two phone books on top of it, in the middle of the room. Wife explained that she heard a snap from the kitchen, and moments later, Caliph, our nosey, less than talented, mouser came parading into the room with the mouse in his mouth... complete with trap dangling from the mouse. Stupid cat. Not so much hunter as gatherer. So, not willing to touch it herself, she just boxed it for me.
I've thought about putting down poison for them, but I don't like the idea of dead mice lazing about in my wallspaces and crawlspaces.
Nothing like a project to keep my mind busy. I really should be packing instead.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Which Pirate am I?? A little known Chinese woman evidently. But I am a vicious little bitch.
















Cheng Shih

You scored 14 Cruelty, 31 Greed, 38 Evil, and 19 Insanity!

(1775-1844) You may have been a woman and a prostitute, but that did
not stop you from becoming the most powerful pirate ever. At one time
you commanded more than 1500 ships and 80,000 men. You destroyed the
Chinese Navy and fended off the attempts of the Dutch and English to
stop you. Finally you gave up the life, but were so powerful that you
made the Chinese government accept your retirement by taking all the
ships and men who wished to do so, and rebuilding their navy, giving
full pardons to all, and getting a nice piece of land of your own to
retire to.
















My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 99% on Cruelty
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 99% on Greed
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 99% on Evil
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 99% on Insanity




Link: The Find Your Pirate Personality Test written by mehit_kerh on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Schatenfreude

That's right, deriving joy from the misery of your cat. I got some new slippers today and the shoebox had a triangular hole in the lid to view the slippers; just big enough for a cats head. Sure enough, our nosy troublemaker, Caliph, stuck his head in there, and got it stuck. How can you NOT laugh when the cat is running around with a box on his head as he tries to shake it off? And the capper? not once, but TWICE.

I'm getting ready to send out another batch of resumes. Dollywood is one of the lucky recipients in this batch. Wife is liking this one. Not from any love of Dolly in particular, or country music in general, but for the fact that it's just north of Nashville, ergo, warmer climate. And closer to her father. Far enough to not see him every week, but close enough that we can be there in an hour or so if we need to.

TMA alert. Leave now if you can't handle too much information about my private and/or personal life.

So this morning I was looking at the DVD's on my headboard, and see that pirate film that I haven't seen in a while. Pirates. No, not the Polanski one, the OTHER one. That's right, the porno. So I pop it in. I don't know why I do this to myself. I seem to like bludgeoning myself over the head with hard reality. Here I am enjoying the hot girl/girl action, and I realize that I can't see myself ever doing that again in the near or forseeable future. Harumph. I put in Yellowbeard instead. Perfectly pointless piece of fluff (as opposed to a fluffer piece? nope, nope, sorry), but moderately funny and enjoyable.

Tomorrow is laundry day. Probably while the Bears are playing, hoping that the laundomat is less crowded. It's been way too long. Amazing how long you can let things slide when you don't have to dress up for other people (or, some days, at all).

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

slowly

Well, I'm coming back slowly from a black mood. I got set off by an offhand comment from a friend who had no idea what they'd said. It struck me at the time, and the more I dwelled on it, the more personally and mean-spirited the implications I inferred from it. I really had to work to bring myself back from this thinking. I took a long hard look at myself and my situation, and tried to see it from an outside point of view, from a 'reality' point of view, and not my rosy, idealised, fantasy world I inhabit. Gods, I hate reality.
Reality is also finding a job. I try to keep my spirits up, but I know that the odds are really rather slim. There are just a whole lot of people out there looking for the same few jobs. But I'm getting the letters of Rec. in from other people, and it boost my confidence a bit. Who is this guy they're writing about? Hopefully this week I'll get enough in to send out to the University gigs I'm hoping for. I've got two in hand, one more on the way, and one more that I need to follow up on today.
I'm also not sleeping well, not getting to sleep until 3 or 4 usually, and up by 8 or 9 usually. However, I am making progress in that I'm not following up on the fantasy emails I think about sending when I'm drowsing, trying to fall asleep. At 4 in the morning, it seemed like a good idea to tell that particular person what they said and why it hurt me, but in the light of day (or brighter light than pre-dawn) I realize that it REALLY would be bad. I'm dealing with it, they're still blissfully ignorant, and we're still friends, something I'm woefully short of now.
I had my first meeting about the upcoming show with Artists Ensemble, Tuesdays with Morrie. It's really gonna be a heavy light show, and one that will be very fun to work on, with a great bunch of guys. Nothing like a show about Death to take your mind off your sucky life. But it's work.