Dear Family:

My hold on sanity gets more precarious every day.
Fuck off and quit calling me. I don't want to talk to you right now.

No love,

The sibling that quite happily disappeared into the maw that is BCS

Hey, anyone know of a good freeware that'll utterly wipe an old hard drive before I take it over to the computer recyclers?

Me and my girlfriend Michelle went thrift-horroring again. We took xineko's advice and went to the Salvation Army on Quadra St. We walked away with 80 pictures, so I'm splitting it into 3 or 4 posts. First, the miscellaneous stuff.



Cookie Panda's confusion about his dietary needs has caused him to mutate slightly.

( What has five elephant legs, a cougar's tail, a lizard's head, and sun spots? (24 more horrors under the cut) )

Still to come: toys and clothes (and believe me, it's worth waiting for the clothes post/s).

Shush, girl
Shut those lips!
Do the Helen Keller
And talk with those hips!


........


That is all.

New songs I've played along with today include 3 Foo Fighters songs, because that happens to be what I'm listening to a lot right now- 'DOA', 'Times Like These', and on a whim, 'But Suddenly'. Then also 'Wheel' by John Mayer. The music I found to that needed some tweaking, but this one sounds really good- I think with not much variation, the bass player actually is just playing the root on this song. So it sounds extra-right. And I really like that song, too.

It took me awhile, but here for your perusal is a tour of the first floor of our house in Austin.

( Click for photos. )

Trace

http://msuhyenas.blogspot.com/2009/07/can-anyone-afford-to-buy-us-new-car.html

Here's a dilemma: as two of our 4-wheel drive bush vehicles are REALLY on their last legs these days, awhile back I asked our program officer at the National Science Foundation, the federal agency that supports most of our hyena work, whether we might be able to get a supplement to our current grant large enough to allow us to replace one of our ancient decrepit cars with a new one. The program officer wrote back today to say that they can give us some money toward a new car, but that all they have available right now is $15,000. Well, that's problematic because we need about three times that much to purchase a car that can hold up under bush conditions. And since our university, like most universities these days, is in the midst of a financial crisis, I figured I might as well ask the readers of this blog whether they have any ideas how we might raise the funds to supplement those NSF is offering us right now. The rub is that, if we don't figure out how to supplement the NSF offer by 15 July, we are likely to lose even the $15,000 they are offering us right now. Unfortunately at this point, that's probably the likeliest scenario.

Why do we need a new car so badly? Well, because once you leave the major cities, most roads here are pitted with ruts and potholes so deep that driving into one at any speed higher than about 10 mph can break your axle. And those roads beat cars up pretty badly over time. Two of our current cars (see photo) are so old that they now cost us a fortune to keep running. I bought one of them in 1995 and the other in 1999. That means parts for those cars are not only expensive, but also hard to find. Although we do weekly maintenance and small repairs on all our vehicles, these old cars keep breaking down with problems so severe that we can't fix them ourselves. To get your car towed from the remote Kenyan bush back to Nairobi costs us $500 each time it happens. And these cars are so old that this is happening a lot these days. The other day we broke down near our striped hyena study site in Shompole and had to be towed all the way back to the capital. That took all day and cost 29,000 Kenya shillings! Most importantly, because we study larege carnivores that would find any of us to be a delicious suppertime treat, we need to monitor them from inside cars, and those cars really need to work well!

So, if you miraculously happen to have some cash lying around that you want to donate to a good cause, please consider giving it to us (and soon!) so we can avoid losing the NSF funds and get ourselves a car that will allow us to do our work without having to spend endless hours diagnosing car problems every day.

I certainly don't have the budget or inclination to shower Nathaniel with gifts, but I'd like to get him one especially cute thing to wear. My sort of especially cute, which fortunately will meet Noelle and Jimi's approval. So I've been poking around, mostly on eBay and Etsy. But I am indecisive and was hoping the lovely lot of you on my flist might have advice about which would be the best new addition to the larva's wardrobe.


Gothic Skull Faced Pant With Leather & Chains Pros: Noelle likes them, by the time they fit him it will be pants weather. Cons: He'll probably be crawling before he outgrows them. There's only a tiny bit of chain, but it could concievably get snagged on something.

SKULL AND CROSSBONES ONESIE Pros: Good price, low shipping. Cons: Compared to the other stuff I'm looking at, sort of plain. Won't fit him for a while, and it might not be onesie weather when it does.

Littleoneshoes Soft Sole Baby Kids Shoes Pros: They're baby shoes with skulls on them. BABY SHOES WITH SKULLS ON THEM. Cons: The seller is in Canada.

Gothic Skull Bib Pros: Freaking adorable. Will be practical once he's on solids. Con: They won't be able to take him out wearing it, so it won't get shown off much.

Crawler Covers Baby Toddler Leg Warmers Pros: Will be awesome once he starts crawling. Might extent the practical wearability of onesies a little later in the year. Cons: They might just slip off of him all the time.

Swashbluckling Skull fleece baby/toddler/children's hat Pros: Really, how long can you get away with dressing your kid up in one of these? Noelle thinks it's adorable. COns: Not even remotely practical.

Skully Bandana/Red Shoesies Pros: Once more: BABY SHOES WITH SKULLS. Cons: I thought the other ones were a little cuter, although these cost less and shipping is a lot less.

Black Skull and Crossbones Baby T Shirt"> Pros: I like the distressed look. Cons: By the time it fits him, it might not be warm enough.

The Young Ones - Onesie Pros: It's a goddamn Young Ones onesie! Cons: Not sure if Jimi or Noelle are Young Ones fans (gasp!). Shipping cost seems inflated.

Level 1 Human Baby Creeper Pros: Jimi plays WoW. Cons: Noelle doesn't. Plus it's pricier than most of the ones I've been looking at.

So, what do you guys think? How shall I snazz up Little Man's wardrobe?

Same rules as before, ask me for five words, I give them to you. Here's my set from debmats
cheese
trouble
musicals
family
ocean

( Answers this way )

Searched the archives, y nada.

Good sushi downtown, right now for lunch.(besides Zen) Too hungry for complete sentences.

AYUDAME!

Next time you make an omelet or scrambled eggs, mix in fennel seeds.  The seeds absorb moisture and plump when you cook them.  The plump seeds pop when you chew them, releasing a burst of flavor, and the taste along with the eggs is amazing.

Yardwork
Yesterday I took our new cordless hedgetrimmer for a spin, and boy are my arms tired! I'd forgotten just how physically exhausting such a chore is! I know, some of you in particular are laughing about what a wuss I am, and well-deserved! I derived a nice sense of satisfaction from taking care of this chore for our home, even if my arms are still not quite working at top speed again!

( Click for photos of house & hedges. )

Job Search
Yesterday, I had a phone interview for an executive assistant position with the local office of a global, public company in financial advisory services. The interview went great! At the end, the woman said that she was very interested in my resume when it came across her desk, and she was even more pleased after speaking with me. They will continue phone interviews until the middle of next week, at which time they'll bring in top candidates for in-person interviews. I took it as a good sign when she asked my status, if I have other interviews, and if I'm considering any offers currently. I told her that I'm actively interviewing, and have other interviews setup, but I am not currently entertaining any offers. She started to speak, and caught herself, and I got the impression that perhaps she wanted to ask me to wait until next week or something -- but we left it at the polite protocol. In any case, good interview, good feeling, I look forward to next week.

Pretty standard benefits for me, it looks like, maybe an employee stock purchase plan -- not sure. Bennies start Day 1. NO IDEA about the salary range, but that's always a bit of a cat and mouse game, isn't it?

And oddly... Bob Hope
One of the loathsome chores I've taken on during the freedom of my unemployment is to apply to a local community college. I think I'm only 5 classes away from my Associate's degree, finally. This is my sixth or seventh college, so every time I apply, I need to write to all the past ones and get my transcripts. Oy. I used the last of my postage stamps, and so ran to the Post Office to get more. I asked the clerk what's new and cool, and among the choices, he offered me Bob Hope commemorative stamps. I got chatting with the clerk because chatting with strangers is how I roll, really, and I told him that Bob Hope lived in my hometown of Palm Springs, California. I remember meeting him in the grocery store when I was 4 years-old, and how kind he was to me. I remember it well.

What impressed me is that the clerk then told me about Bob Hope coming to perform for the troops while he was in Vietnam, how much he appreciated that. The man in line behind me, who surely must have been at least a little annoyed at having to wait in any line while the lady in front of him chatted about a dead comedian, piped up and talked about Bob Hope performing for him during his service in Desert Storm. The three of us chatted for a minute or two about what a great performer and patriot Bob Hope was to do that; he kept performing for the troops every year nearly until he died in his 90s! He really was a great man. I'm glad that at the very least, he got his own postage stamp.

Trace

Dear People on Freecycle:

"I want printer." is not going to get you the printer. However, writing a huge sob story isn't going to get you the printer, either. Demanding that I print something out in color so you "can make sure" isn't going to get you the printer at all. IT'S A FREE PRINTER. Yes, it does print in color, but quit being so damn picky. You can get some awesome shit off of Freecycle/Craigslist, but you either have to wait and do some searching, or you have to settle for what you can get. I really wanted a Marchioro carrier for the cats. But you know what? I got a Petmate instead. WHO CARES, IT WAS FREE, AND THAT MAKES IT AWESOME. The cats don't care anyway, and it's a nice Petmate, not one of the crappy ones that falls apart in the middle of the vet's office.

How does it go again? Ah yes, "beggars can't be choosers." And that printer isn't large, it's still very useful, and I can hang on to it for a while. Someone will eventually come along who will react with "Free printer? Fuck yes!" And I will be happy and they will be happy, and there will be much rejoicing. So all of you rude butt heads, and you with the sob story, yeah, you've been passed up. Sorry.

~the bitch with the printer

Alternate title- The Double Standard- Still Around, Still Stupid!

Women Have Become Too Easy

I moved to the area a few months ago and haven't had a chance to figure out where the good shops are in town. Now I've got an order and desperately need to find 2 wigs today or tomorrow.

I don't mind driving where ever, I just need a decent selection.
fwiw I'm looking for a waist length brown and a waist length blonde, nothing super special. medium quality, not cheap halloween wear.

thanks guys!

I fell asleep around 7 last night, not really asleep, more dozing half awake, but woke up around 9, and was awake until after 2. *sigh* And when the alarm went off this morning, I fell back asleep until 6:45. But it's not oversleeping if you've only had 5 hours of sleep, right?

I can't really say that I've enjoyed this week - early in the week I was dealing with some mood swings and abdominal pain. And of course Wednesday's interesting news. But it's funny: since Wednesday, I've gotten so focused. I've been in this situation before, and with a lot less notice, so I am going to, as best I can, focus on the positives in this. I think there are some, for sure. And some that are a little unexpected - like R.

R has been rock-solid, an amazing support for me the past couple of days. This reinforces for me what I do know about him: no matter our current personal difficulties (and it's been so, so difficult for us lately), when my back is against the wall, no matter what, he will be there for me. I know this deep inside, I don't have to think about it, and it's a good feeling. (And if he lets his guard down, he'll see I am there for him in equal measure, which he does sometimes.)

He's proved that the last two days, and that has turned into one of those nice little blessings for me this week. It's one thing to know it in the abstract, but quite another to see it in practice. He was the first person I turned to Wednesday, he called me immediately and we've talked several times since - twice yesterday (including last night when he was fighting a migraine, he called just to check up on me, so we kept it short). I will say, sometimes the boy just knows the right thing to say to make me laugh, and last night he suggested that on my way in to work today, I should make a pit stop at Crown and Anchor, have me about 5 or 6 beers and then if I felt like it, go to work. For some reason, his deadpan delivery, the absurdity of the suggestion, it just struck my funny bone, and I told him I now owed him a beer for giving me the first real laugh of the day. The lovely (and yes, loving) things he's said to me the last couple of days, his support, I told him yesterday I'm holding it in my heart, and it's helping me stay focused and positive. And considering the really big issues he's currently dealing with in his life, what he's given me has been a real gift, and I know it.

As I told him (and spielmadchen) last night, it's easy at work, when I'm busy and focused. But when I'm at home, alone, and things slow down and I have time to just think, that's when the reality hits me and the fear starts to creep in. So, it's those quiet times when I may be leaning more on folks - I'll try to spread the love. :-p

And even if I don't reply to everyone's comments, they mean a great deal to me, and I am holding them in my heart. Each of you is a blessing to me as well.

Okay, so my sister JUST turned 21, and she won't drink anything so accessible as beer. Now, 6th street is not really my thing at all, but I'd like to take her someplace where she can get sick on margaritas or something without it costing her too much. (She's broke, and I don't want to solely fund her binge.)

Opal Divine's has crappy cocktail hour prices. Does anyone know where I can get mixed drinks or cheap margaritas for $2-$3 a drink. Happy hour is fine. Would LOVE to stay off 6th if I can.