kyburg | I can't work

They won't let me. There's nobody at the office, not even security. Good thing I checked on the way there. Just what I needed to do - trip all the alarms and bring everyone out of their homes just because little ol' me wanted to get more work done.

So now what do I do?

Well, I hit the after-Christmas sale at Stats and have wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, lights for next year. Restocked the card supply somewhat.

ATTENTION. Do not buy me any more gift cards. Those suckers are not cashable and if you put a piddly amount on a Nordstroms card, it is damn near ridiculous for me to step foot in that place to use it. Nordstroms wants $150 for a single shirt, people. I used up the two - TWO - cards my mother got us on underwear, nightwear and one pair of slippers. I never go there. There are reasons, most of them attached to dollar signs. For the amount I spent on those items, I could have fed us for two weeks. The gas bill AND the phone bill AND the electric bill.

And I lose the little shits like nobody's business. No more gift cards. Please.

What is working?

silverkun gave me a CD burn of some music he thought I would like - for my birthday, but that's not long ago. Put it in, extract everything to the music directory on Trogdor - and start up Winamp. Mind you, I've also been ripping CDs myself for the mp3 action for players and so forth.

Start up Winamp, add the directory and watch it load everything, including my subdirectories. Everything I like, and everything he likes. Shuffle the list. Hit the Random button. First up is Barbara Streisand, followed by Evanescene, Alanis Morissette - then Barry Manilow.

I've been telling Rey I haven't had any access to the radio for years - and it shows in my breadth of music knowledge - ie, the lack of it. This will definitely help.

It definitely will make it damn hard to get away from this computer, I tell ya.

You never know what's going to work, do you?

The weather today is postcard grade - God, it's a day late! Jim is at work, I am at home - and I think I might go out back and pick up guavas for Siva. I gave away all the guava jelly, and he and his wife ate their entire jar in two days, they like it so much! I love an appreciative audience, so I'll make some more for him if wants it. Or we can trade cooking - I love love love his cooking - but past that, it feels like a wasted day. I hope security will be back in on the weekend.

Glen Miller just followed The Smiths. Gah. This is insane....

Other crap pissing me off - Did you hear about all the crap our government handed Air France over nothing substantiated?. I can't tell you how ugly it was here in town getting people from the airport for Christmas. The weather was one thing - but let's just look like total idiots and bash the French ONE MORE TIME. People have short memories. I remember trying to get home from Switzerland in 1986 when they were having significant security issues in the middle east - terrorist crap in Greece, Jersualem and so on - and France CLOSED their airspace. Period. As if they wouldn't take action on their own - give me a break. I spent 24 hours in that plane getting home - and ended up spending a night in New York to boot - but I wasn't one of the lucky few who boarded the plane in Tel Aviv. THEY spent 46 hours in that plane, and the kosher meals were long, long gone by the time we were in the air again.

Nineteen Eighty-Six.

I haven't forgotten.

How about these stories?

Okay, Arnie - now what? Mudslides are here, Arnie - they're heeeere....
Las Vegas? How about stowaways? No problem? They don't exist - yeah, right. This doesn't bother them?

I'm aware of a basic anger these days. I found myself apologizing on Christmas to my mother for being snappish - "there are just things happing that make me angry." Her response? "About time!"

I think I might go down to Marukai later and check out some New Year's goodies.

Beautiful day. Wish you were here.