It's true! Don't argue with me! It taints all other things that touch it...it emits an aroma that seems to liiinnngggerrrr...agh! Gross! Stop buying your canteloupes and watermelons...and you feed them to children! Watermelon! Blech! And when you make melon-flavored gum, and candy, and drinks...you SPREAD THE GROSSNESS. That stuff does not taste good! Who thought that would be a good marketing scheme?

I know I'm the 1/1 billion people that hates melon. I'm sorry. I just hate how when people make fruit salad, they put melon in there, and it just gets all over all the other fruits and makes it inedible. Stoppit!

Okay, enough girliness...sorry about that...

And I wanted to say something about working for a nonprofit organization: there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, quite as satisfying as working for something you believe in. Sure, you're not making the money you could be working for the man, but you have a deep sense of satisfaction. You don't hate yourself at the end of the day because the beaurocracy that runs most of corporate america is choking you...you feel GOOD. That's worth more than any dollar amount, if you ask me.

But TODAY, my friends, TODAY is the day to get all work done! It will happen! I have already come up with a new desktop and a possible log layout, and it's only 9am! I was awake at 3:45 this morning (yes, I slept first..kinda) to pick my coworker Jesse up from the airport. Now I am caffeinated and ready to roll. Whee!

Labor Day. Chicago. Everyone was out on the lakeside park trails on their rollerblades and bikes, kids in strollers, parents heading towards Navy Pier. Beaches are packed, and flocks of birds swoop down in patterns over the crowds. My friend and I are driving to the amtrack station to pick up her things. We looked out on the lake and there were hundreds and hundreds of sailboats. It's a beautiful day.

I realized that in the 2 weeks that I've been here, today was the first time I ventured into the actual city. I work in the suburbs, so I don't get many opportunities to go. I desperately want to go to the Art Institute (where I just found an old friend) and to hang out at all the arty joints. I want to go do touristy stuff now.

I know everyone and their mama's logging it, but go see Michael's new version of yewknee, utilizing my favorite piece of html: the iframe. If you're on Netscape (aka JERRY) you won't get the full experience...or really, you won't get to read any of the content at all. But forget you Netscape users! Forget you all! Muahah! Nice job, Michael. I'm all over those western fonts as well.

Can't wait to move out of the hotel. Heh.

Yesterday I helped my friend move into her new apartment, conveniently located in the same building as my future new apartment (if I get it...I'm waiting to hear still)! There will be 2 other Baha'i females in that same block. That means no scary commutes alone, stuff to do at night, and yeah, you know it, FRIENDS. The apartment is in a primarily hispanic neighborhood, and you KNOW there is some good food there. I'll be speakin some spanish before you know it. It's such a cute cute part of town. I'm going to be sorely disappointed if I don't get this apartment.

AAAANNNNDDDD the good news is I think I found an apartment! I'll find out by today what's gonna happen. I spent a lot of yesterday at a little beach-park by lake Michigan (it was a beeauuutiful day) calling my friends and family and saying "Gues where I am?!" Muhahah.

I bought a new phone today, with plan from Sprint. I gotta say, Best Buy totally hooked me up on this one. I got a hundred dollar rebate on the phone, and then a $50 giftcard. This is all mail-in rebate stuff, but still! Amazing!

I also looked at apartments today. The first places I looked at, and I think that I have some definite options. I love the studios I saw. They were in vintage buildings that were being refurbished, on tree-lined neighborhood streets...oh so quaint. I want a project-apartment, too, that I can paint and make my own. Tee hee hee! I am looking at more tomorrow, so we'll see. I might have an apartment by next weekend, who knows?!