urban earth mother

The Doc has an interview tomorrow (quick work!) for a job in London. I'm a bit miffed though that they said his CV sucked since I wrote it. I based it on the 100 or so resumes I looked at this year when we were hiring, plus looking at sample ones from the UK as well as keeping scanability in mind. What more did they want?

The Doc got laid off yesterday. This is yet another of those times when he should be bowing down and tongue-kissing the English soil he lives on. While he may be out of a job, and London has kicked his arse so much that he's become a walking example of Murphy's Law (forced to move five times in a year, jacket containing keys, mobile phone and passport stolen, hit by a fucking VAN and breaking both wrists, and now a lay-off), he still doesn't have to worry about COBRA or it's alternative (being completely uninsured and having to risk getting sick and going into debit from medical bills), and their unemployment rate is really low now, and the unemployment benefits are still there in the interim. He's going to move back north, which I think will be good for him. I'm trying to talk him into city living up there once he gets back on his feet too. And he's looking into going to school too, which I think would be fantastic. It would give him something to do...

You know, I may totally slack on blogging, but at least I've written something since June, unlike some people . Of course writing while at work might not be the best thing >

He was vomitting on Thanksgiving but has been FAMISHED since then. Tonight I was having some Annie's with veggies and Quorn after I'd fed him and he was still trying to mooch food. But was he trying to mooch the cheesey pasta? No. He was going after the carrots.

How to they manage to walk and breathe at the same time? How can someone have blinders to focused that they can say abortion is wrong so kill to stop it? How can they be "pro-life" and support war? Why do they want their children coming home in body bags while they loose their jobs and face millions in personal debt because when they were admitted to the hospital they had no insurance? Were these people eating paint chips as children? No, we don't need to "reach out" to the red states. They are a different country and we should treat them with cool distance. We are not a "United" States any more. It's time to face that. Oh, and I'm really pissed off that Moby blogged a split of the country before I did. But he's to pious to climb into a bottle and hide under the blankets like I did instead of blogging. (I'm better now. But still binging on candy)

Eighty-six fucking years!!!! But we did it !!! I could weep with joy.

...and we are so fucking close

They did it ! They fucking did it! And my man Johnny ROCKS! Johnny Damon, Johnny Damon Johnny Damon, Johnny Damon You're an angel to me Johnny Damon How I love him How I tingle When he hits that ball Everytime the Yankees fall My heart begins to fly Johnny Damon How I want him He's got something That fans can't resist And he makes Derek Jeter Really damned pissed I'm in heaven I get carried away I dream of him and Sox And how he really rocks Other fellows They may hit a homerun But when they all are done My Johnny is more fun My Johnny Damon How we love him And I pray That someday he will see Sox win World Serie' How lovely Heaven will be Sox win World Serie' How lovely Heaven will be Stretching for the rhyme there at the end, but it's late, and you get the point.

I'm exhausted and I need to go to bed but I checked the fucking scores anyway. It's the top of the nineth and we're up 2, but I know I can't go to bed until after the inning. If it goes into extrea innings I'll go to bed and hear it in the morning, but I can't just leave it during regular play. And I'm not even a sports fan, dammit! But This Could Be THE YEAR!

My landlord called me at work from my apartment to tell me he sat down on the couch (he's there while the windows are being finished) and the cat came over to curl up next to him. While he called, the cat dozed off and he just thought it was a very cute scene. Just thgought I'd share.

Advanced Acting, here I come!

If I get in to both classes this semester, I'm going to have a hell of a lot of work. I'm taking Actor/Director Collaboration: Beckett, Pinter, and Mamet , which requires us to direct one piece and act in two. Tonight I auditioned to get in to Advanced Acting , which will require scene work throughout the semester as well. While there weren't a lot of people who I thought were a lot better than me during the audition monologues (but there were a couple who were really good), I still thought I didn't have a chance. But after class I went up and asked on behalf of a former student of his who is in my Monday class if he, the student, could have a copy of any handouts. Marcus clearly remembered this guy and liked him and said he didn't mind if I gave him copies. Of course, for me to be able to do that, I'd have to be in the class. :) So I guess I have a shot after all.

And for once it's not about hockey .

With the election coming up, I think it's time to revisit the last presidential "election." In any other country, what happened in 2000 would be cause for international censure for corruption. It was the sort of thing the US military is sent in to "fix" to make a place "democratic." I guess Tom Lehrer was right when he sang: For might makes right, And till they've seen the light, They've got to be protected, All their rights respected, 'Till somebody we like can be elected. For your amusement: Grand Theft America

Good thing I love that cat. Last night he started peeing blood again and was very uncomfortable (scootching, licking, etc.) so I brought him in to the vet tonight. V happy for a vet with late hours! It turns out there are two types of feline urinary crystals. He's been treated for struvite crystals, but apparently that treatment can bring on calcium oxalate crystals, and vice versa. We may have tipped the balance with his dietary regulation for the struvite. So he had a urine sample taken and the lab results should be in tomorrow night or Thursday. In the meantime, it's hydration, hydration, hydration (he even had sub-dermal liquids given). $112, plus fair for 2 cab rides (no fun with a cat), later and he's still irritated. Sigh. I just wish there was something I could do to make him feel better.

I think I'm finally all moved in to the new place. I have no idea where anything is (now where did I pack the pads? Not a good morning to discover those missing) and I'm having to climb over boxes to get everywhere. I unpacked five boxes of videos last night and cleared enough space to put the TV table in place and set the TV on it (two spaces down, eighty zillion to go), but then I felt daunted by the prospect and just had dinner and read discussion forums. And on the web surfing note, big slam to Verizon for not having dial-up software for OS X . My DSL takes 10 days to transfer so I was going to sign up for dial-up, but the modem on the Dell desktop is having issues. So having a brand new (to me) iBook (and many thanks Steve for the old RobotZen gig machine) I thought I'd just use that. But no, Verizon can't keep up. But NetZero can (and Lindows too). And that service FLIES! I've never had dial-up that good. If it wasn't tying up the phone...

While they said I could start moving things in while they're moving stuff out, and even gave me their spare set of keys (the one to the apartment is about to break and needs to be replaced pronto), I am not at all comfortable with this. Especially as the first thing I need to move in is a rug (could you just move all your shit so I can spread this out? thanks) and then furniture. Sure I could start loading some boxes in to the hall closet (which is huge, but not as huge and barren as the one in my dream ), but they still have a few things there too. And I've been in there and it would take me all of 10 minutes to clear out what was left TWO HOURS AGO! And I think they might even be staying the night! Which means I can't get started until noon tomorrow. FUCK FUCK FUCK

I dreamed last night that I was at a crematorium. I was alive, but was supposed to be going in too. At the last minute I backed out of it. Then it swiched to a park and I could hear sirens. The sirens got louder and louder and wouldn't stop, and eventually I reaized I wasn't dreaming the sound. Then I smelled smoke. I sat bolt upright and looked out the bedroom window to see a column of black smoke coming from a couple of blocks away. In the early morning light, you could see sparks above the trees behind which was the fire. The cracking sound of wood being eaten by flames was audible even with the sirens blaring. I haven't gone to see yet who got burned out this morning.

...I might be moving in tonight. As it is, I have to face the fact that this is not going to happen and I'll be doing MUCH more moving on Tuesday than I planned. But they seem to be having a lovely time down there, drinking beer, eating and watching TV. I feel such a Bitch Goddess mode coming on. I want to go down and pack for them and kick them the hell out. However, as they technically have the place until Tuesday, even though they said they would be out by today (not eventually today, but actually actively moving out this weekend (by which I mean yesterday too)), I guess I can't really do anything. Except be really pissed off and happy that the frat boys are leaving. Eventually. Maybe.

New downstairs neighbors are moving in today. Apparently they were a bit too optimistic about getting their couch in and it is now wedged in the doorway. Really wedged. Like they have to climb over the end to get in to the livingroom and under it to get out of the apartment. Unless a doorway sudenly opens up, I think they're going to have to hack it up. *************** Update: The got it out of the doorway and the couch is now on end in the hall next to their apartment. And the guys in 23 are watching sports instead of packing (yes, I am packing today! Just took one more bag of clothes down to the trash and may have to do two trips to the Goodwill).

So everyone who has heard about what my new place looks like with the decorating skills of the guys in it now has rolled their eyes, and sometimes made the occational "frat boy" reference (could it be the pictures of bikini-clad beer models on the walls?). Well, that is not too far off. I told the guy who lives below them that I would be moving in and his first reaction was relief. Apparently the boys are rather noisy, often stomping around. And I saw one of the guys today and he said they opted to forgo packing yesterday in favor of going to a bachelor party. So they're hungover and moving furniture in the heat today. I'm not actual feeling much sympathy for them. They want to get everything out today and then come back tomorrow to clean, but I told them not to bother with the cleaning and that I would do it. I'm getting too antsy and want in NOW.

Too hot to pack. Too daunting to pack too. Wrapped up the CD tower in plastic last night. Hopefully I can manage that on my own (packing the disks just to move the tower and then refill it was not an option), but if not it should go like a breeze with two people. And I now have two people to help me move, so I think that will be enough. I need to measure my dresser and the back stairway sometime today. There's no curve in that stairway so I think if it's wide enough, that's the best bet for getting the furniture down. And it ends practically in front of the door to my new place. Before it got unbearable today I managed to pack a box of hats, one of shoes, one of books (yes, I'm still finding books to pack) and some kitchen stuff, most of which was already in a box, having never been unpacked since I moved to Boston (and why would I unpack a roasting pan? It's not like I cook turkeys any more). I took down the plants and the remaining pictures too. ...

Took the magnets off the 'fridge last night, including the poetry set that covered the freezer door. Some of those things, like teh sentiments above, have been on since we moved in. The 'fridge looks very lonely and bare now.

Roomie leaves this week. It's finally hitting me that my friend who I have lived with for the past nine years will be going to Texas, only to be seen over the occational school break. I am completely, and utterly depressed.

I just heard random thumping from the apartment I'm moving in to, with comments about a bronken door casing. I just mailed the lease this morning, so I was a bit concerned and asked them what was up. The apratment's fine, but the appolgized for the mess ("We're taking everthing to the dumpster, don't worry." "Worry? You haven't seen my place, dude.") and offered to leave anything I want. The couch I like is, unfortunately, structurally damaged, but they said they'd leave me all the bookcases (small ones) and the stereo. And there are random dressers for all the new clothes I'll buy once I throw my old ones out in the move. Um, not that I'll need more clothes.

Katell sent me the How Britsh are You quiz. Turns out I'm 50% British. Funny, I was expecting more. Maybe it's my not giving a crap about sport(s). Of course being a Harvard person probably bumped thing up with the 300 year old question ;-)

... or I would be inundated with political ads. However, I really do love this Will Ferrell ad from White House West . Enjoy.

Or Why I love The Onion. WASHINGTON, DC—In the interest of national security, President Bush has been asked to stop posting entries on his three-month-old personal web log, acting CIA director John E. McLaughlin said Monday. According to McLaughlin, several recent entries on PrezGeorgeW. typepad.com have compromised military operations, while other posts may have seriously undercut the PR efforts of White House press secretary Scott McClellan. The best part is that some enterprising soul decided to get the address PrezGeorgeW.typepad.com and start up George's Blog.

This time next month, I will be in my new place, downstairs in my current apartment building. I've hardly packed a thing and think I'm in denial of the whole having to move thing. Although having realtors troop through my house should be a good reminder. Saturday, a realtor came in, having not called first. She claimed, upon waking my roommate who was taking a nap in her room (door closed) that she thought we had already moved. Well, the moment she opened the apartment door she would have seen that was not the case and should have promptly shut it and made the call to us. But no, she trouped up the stairs, potential residents in tow and proceeded to barge in on my roommate's nap. Now at this point, you'd think an apology might have been made and they would have left. But no. Instead she decided to show what was behind Door Number 2, the closed bathroom door with the sound of running bathwater coming from behind it. Yes, I was interrupted, NAKED in my bath. ...

Dad called last night. They had Gimp Night Out on Frday and went out to see Spiderman II. Sounds like I like that flick more than he did, but then I had Tobey Maguire to oggle. The plan is for him to get out next week, but maybe earieer. could be as early as Wednesday. One of the girlfriends is moving in for a couple months to help him out at home. Of course the first place he said he would be was his camp. Yeah, great dad. A fucking month dealing witj a stroke and you want to get out and go party again. That's why you had the fucking stroke in the first place. Whaterver. It's his life and there's not much I can do to make him clean up if he doesn't want to.

I'd been doing at least one post a month, but there went June, with narry a post. Go figure. My dad had a stroke on June 2. He was doing okay until his second day in the hospital when the DTs set in (they neglected to put him on a bourbon drip for some reason) which put him in intensive care for two weeks. I've been a bit scattered what with going up to see him and coming back and trying to be in my life with job and moving and all that fun shit. Oh yeah, I'm moving. Roomie is going off to grad school next month and I just can't swing the HUGE apartment on my own and am too old and set in my ways to get a new roommate. But as luck would have it, a smaller two bedroom opened up downstairs and the landlord offered it to me first. This not only saves me the moving expenses and coming up with first/last/deposit/fee/anything else we can stick you for, but also saves me the credit check, which I'm sure I would never pass. But I've been here for the past 6...

When I was a freshman at UVM I took a course on mystery novels (for credit and everything!) and was forced to read a Dorothy L. Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey book. I hated it! So The Roomie picked up one a couple of months ago to try it out to see if she disliked them too. Well, I started reading it and absolutely LOVE it. I think I was a bit too earnest at 18 to get the humour. And seventy-pluss years on, it looks very camp now too (another thing I didn't get then)

1. Grab the book nearest to you. Turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down here what it says: It is a piece that explores the realities of seven differnt kinds of women who are named only after the colours they are wearing 2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?: Half-full bottle of beer left over from last night 3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?: 6:00 news on a bar TV 4. WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is: 7:20 5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?: 7:25 (not bad!) 6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?: Traffic and people on the street 7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?: I've only been inside since 6:45. Before then I was walking from the T to the apartment 8. Before you came to this web site, what did you look at?: Postmaster Forums 9. What are you wearing? Jeans, a short sleved shirt that was WAY too tight last year but is n...

Well, the day is here. Marriage is now legal for all couples in Massachusetts. Personally, I think it's about fucking time states stopped legislating for descrimination. Now if only they'd make rights available to all, and not descriminate between couples and non-couples (singles, poly, people living together without romantic attachment). But that will have to wait for another day. For today, I lift a glass and toast the upcoming nuptuals for all!

You make one complaint in your blog (because I can't figure out how to complain directly to them) and suddenly the whole blog is gone. Hoping that by creating a new post it will show up again.

Blogger's new look is pissing me off. It's all bubbly XP/OSX icons and shit. And the old framed look was MUCH more convenient for my other blog where I posted the same information every Tuesday and would just cut and paste and make the updates as needed. Now I have to flip back and forth between the screens, saving drafts of the new message in between.

So I wrote on April 2nd that I was in another play. Opening night is tonight and I really just want it all to be over. The director SUCKS. Like big time sucks. And he has pissed off every member of the cast, and some of the crew as well (perhaps all of the crew, but I know the cast better). But worst of all is he has helped me discover my inner monster. Dear god, I am an unbelievable bitch. Shit flies out of my mouth and before I know what's happening I've said things like "But the fourth act is fucking dragging and the audience is going to walk out, if they hadn't already." I have challenged almost everything for the past two weeks, loudly and petulantly. He makes me want to scream. He has no vision of this play other than "Things in 1900 were s l o w. And not funny. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned some of his winning comments. Like (regarding a 23 second alarm effect where no one must speak or move (and this is a straight version of...

Edrie is back . Yea! (yes, I missed you, even if we don't get a lot of face time normally) And not just back in the states, but back in her main blog too.

The blog I do keep up with, my weightloss blog , does have a new look. It's a bit too much like this blog, so I may be changing the colors. But I did want to get some pictures up there

Why do I feel like I never have anything to write here anymore? Politics is just too depressing (although the MoveOn Bakesale looks good). Work is going well, school is stressy, my cat is still sick and my boyfriend is recovering from his accident. Pretty much a steady state in all things. I'm boring.

The Doc got hit by a van while riding his bike Friday night. He's okay, generally, but broke both his wrists and big toe. I didn't find out until yesterday and went into major histrionics for a while, finally really calming down once I spoke with him at the hospital. He's being released in a couple of hours and will be recouping at his dad's for a while, but I feel so helpless being on the other side of the ocean. Love sucks sometimes.

I'm in another play. Wait, I never mentioned the last one. Um okay, so I was in the Greek Chorus of Trojan Women performed at the Aggasiz Theatre at Harvard last month. It was a good experience, if a little frantic (only three weeks from page to stage). This time the is much more preparation time. I'll be playing Anfisa, the 80 year old nanny in Chekhov's The Three Sisters , also at Harvard, during Arts First weekend. It's a small part, but I'm finding it interesting to try to bring my body and voice into age. So far I suck, but I think I'll get better as I go along (as has been happening even during the rehearsals)

You don't call, you don't write and, most importantly, you don't blog. Teru, you are the slack de la slack.

Gorodish kitty died yesterday at the age of 17. In his day he was champion mouser and ruler of his domain, challenging all pretenders to the throne. In his later years, battle scars healed, he stettled in to a quiet life at home, prefering the comfort of beds to rainy nights hunting. He was a wonderful cat, a good companion and will be dearly missed.

Kabarett 16-Bit is tomorrow night. I'm MCing it and already had one anxiety dream where I couldn't find the gallery and ended up stuck in a hell dimension where there was some deamon bloodsport thing going on. Sort of a cross between Buffy and Van Damme movie. Aside from the dream, I am kind of excited about it. I've found myself slipping into character throughout the day today and am looking forward to going home to finish a costume and gather the rest of my things for it. The show itself promises to be a hoot, and my only real worry is that the weather will keep people away.

London was fun. It was tough to leave The Doc again. I, of course, got sick when I got home (actually felt it coming on the day before I left Nodnol), so won't blog much more about the trip until I feel better. Slept a TON this weekend and just took this afternoon off from work to sleep some more.

It's my mom's birthday today and I don't get to call her and give her greetings :( By the time I get off the plane at Heathrow, she'll be off at work at her new job and when she get's home (she's doing 2nd shift) it will be the wee hours in London.

I'm going to London on Monday. This will be my second overseas birthday, and buch less of a whirlwind trip than the one for the Big Three Oh was. And I get to see The Doc sigh . He has planned breakfast in bed for the birthday and then we are going to a matinee of The Moustrap . Comments My comments were off-line for a bit as the company I was using is no more. But the good folks at HaloScan have taken up the hosting, even retaining the old comments.

Just let me finish up the semester and get these silly work trainings out of the way. Oh, and it might not be until I get back from London either (no, I'll be good and blog before then)