Summer reading so far:
* Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken
* Eight Weeks to Optimum Health by Andrew Weil, MD
* Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations by Al Franken
* Doom of the Darksword by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
* Forging the Darksword by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
* Stupid White Men by Michael Moore
* The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
* Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
* Villa Incognito by Tom Robbins
* Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
* Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
* To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
* Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
* How To Be Good by Nick Hornby

Last movie seen:
The Matrix Reloaded
Rating: wha? yawn...

Back it up!
I came home Friday to the sound of a bomb ticking. Well, that's what it sounded like anyway. It was coming from my computer. Upon closer inspection, I found it was coming from my computer's hard drive. You can see where this is going. Everything on my hard drive is gone. I took the computer in to someone who is supposed to know these things, and he confirmed my worst fears. The ticking heralded something physically wrong with the hard drive. All of it--gone. All my schoolwork, all the pictures I've taken on my digital camera for the past three years, all my journals, etc. All gone. I'm trying not to remember exactly what's gone, because I don't want to remember something crucial. I have some backups of stuff here and there, and I think I can get most of my school stuff off the computers there. But still, I've learned my lesson. Hell, I have a CD burner, but I trusted in the integrity of the hard drive, which was possibly a mistake. The only bright spot is that the hard drive was still under warranty, so at least I won't have to pay for a new one.
09:31 a.m. | Monday, August 25, 2003

Realtors must hate me
So I got a Realtor awhile ago, before I was very far in my house-hunting. But she never seemed interested in talking to me, or sending me information about houses, or even answering any of my questions. So when I got a little more advanced in my hunt, I got a new Realtor. I'd heard wonderful things about this new one, and was optimistic. I emailed her, she emailed me back and then I asked for an appointment. She said sure, Friday evening or Saturday morning? I emailed back and said Friday evening would be great. But here it is 3pm on Friday and I haven't received any confirmation from her. What's that about? Do I just have a tone of voice that sets real estate agents off? Do I sound too high-maintenance? What gives? Maybe they're too busy with all their other clients. That's ok--just pawn me off on someone with not much going on right now. It's not like I'm selling; I'm buying, and I can find houses online at homefinder pretty easily. But I need a Realtor to show me in. Anyway, guess I'll go ahead and call, but this isn't the most auspicious way to begin my search, ya know?

In other news, I'm writing a birthday card (this is what I do for a living if you didn't know--I write greeting cards) for a 10-12 year old boy. The card is supposed to have the feel of Abercrombie and Fitch. I turned in some stuff and got the card back to redo and my boss actually gave me a glossary of hip-hop terms. So now I'm trying to reconcile Abercrombie and Fitch (preppy) with hip-hop (crunky). That's wack, if you ask me. Yo, word. No diggety. I am so not all that. I wasn't even cool in the '80s. Though actually, looking back, I don't think anyone was cool in the '80s. Leg warmers? That's wack. Yo.
02:58 p.m. | Friday, August 22, 2003

life changes
Really, how hard can it be to change one's whole life? Just a few things I need to do, like quit smoking, get more exercise, eat better (and less!), lose some pounds, start doing yoga, and meditate more. And get back to writing, but not greeting cards. How hard can all that be?

I did put a patch on today, though I know quitting smoking may be the most difficult thing on the list. But I have quit successfully twice before, once for six years and once for four months. And while I'm not smoking, why not try to eat better? And if I'm eating better, might as well get some exercise. And if I'm getting exercise, hopefully the pounds will come off. And with all those lifestyle changes, it would definitely be time to get into yoga, which I've been trying to do, or at least thinking about, for years.

Ok, I might be biting off a bit more than I can chew. But it doesn't hurt to strive, and even if I don't completely succeed right away, at least I'm on the road to good health. Right? And then I can get back to writing the novel, so I can sell the movie rights and quit my job. Then, I'll have lots of time for yoga.
12:34 p.m. | Monday, August 18, 2003

Shoulda been
A wonderful speech about the problems of the current administration, from the guy who got more votes, Al Gore.
10:07 a.m. | Friday, August 8, 2003

a house of one's own
So I'm about to start house hunting. I have a bit of a down payment from my grandmother's estate, and I'm ready to take the plunge. For a long time, I thought I wanted to live in the city of Bloomington, but now I'm reconsidering. Now I'm thinking maybe a house out in the "country" would suit me better. The prices of houses inside the city limits are just sky-high, due to the students, and let's face it, I really don't need to be within walking distance of the bars anymore. So now I'm looking for a nice little house out in the country. I've found one that looks promising, with 5 acres of land that borders a state forest. A little pricey, but it just might be great. This will be my first home buying adventure, so I'm excited, nervous, scared, and hopeful. And if I get a house before Halloween, I'm going to have a huge party, with a bonfire and drumming and costumes and beer and food, et cetera. You're all invited! (Assuming I get a house by then, of course...)
02:37 p.m. | Monday, August 4, 2003

the last hurrah
For the past three years or so, my social life has centered around the goings-on happening at my friends Brian and Drew's house. In summertime, there were many, many nights sitting on the front porch, drinking and philosophizing. In winter, there were numerous potlucks, where people would bring lots of food, and we'd play games like charades and euchre til the wee hours of the night. People were constantly stopping by and joining the impromptu gatherings. It's where I met Scott, and Amanda, and Robert, and solidified several other friendships.

Well, this is over now. Brian and Drew have gone their separate ways. Brian's off to live with his grandfather and make knives, and Drew's heading to Chicago to join in the real world with his girlfriend Erin.

And I'm a little sad. I know they weren't going to live together forever (no Bert and Ernie were they), but their house and their friendship became a constant in my life that I relied upon. People never stop by my house out of the blue (because I don't want them to, in general), but it was nice to go somewhere that they did (even if Drew didn't always want them to). I felt comfortable and at home, and really enjoyed the times I spent there.

So here's to Brian and Drew: may you both have wonderful times ahead of you, and you can stop by my house anytime.
12:03 p.m. | Monday, August 4, 2003

cheap-labor conservatives and corporate feudalism
What a relief to know there are lots and lots of liberals out there. Listening to the rhetoric of most major media (when exactly did Fox News set the standard for conservative reporting?) is so depressing, except for maybe the Dean campaign. But anyway, for a nice oasis of liberal thought, go see Conceptual Guerilla.
10:52 a.m. | Friday, August 1, 2003

Let's not elect him in '04 either!
From Salon today:
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Bush's image as a regular guy has helped to obscure the fact that he is an insider with close connections to big business and a natural interest in protecting them. To turn this around, Democrats can use the "phony" message as a nexus to explain the contradiction. How can the everyman who stumbles on his words and has a traveling pillow be the same fellow whose tax cuts leave nothing to poor families with kids? How can a champion of personal responsibility and born-again asceticism engineer such unsustainable budget deficits? How can a leader who claims to be the first White House CEO engage in the kind of shoddy handouts to corporate backers in Iraq that shareholders would never tolerate in a business leader? How can a president so determined to wage the war on terrorism be the same president who starves state and local authorities of critical funds for homeland security? How can the commander in chief so concerned about terrorists getting hold of nuclear weapons be the same leader who leaves Iraqi nuclear sites unattended for weeks?
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It's true--Bush scares the shit out of me. His complete lack of concern for average citizens (those of us who aren't millionaires), his one-minded approach to getting more money for bigger corporations run by his cronies (Bechtel, Halliburton, anyone remember Enron?), and his twisting of the concept of patriotism since 9-11, all serve to make me energized about the possibilities of a Democrat winning the election in '04.

I get so annoyed at people who seem to think if you have a disagreement with the current administration, or if you dare to disagree with the way Ashcroft is taking away civil liberties, then by golly, you oughta get out! This is the way America is, they say. But it's not. It's just this knee jerk reaction to the enforced patriotism that's been prevalent since 9-11 happened. I can't believe people like Ann Coulter actually suggest that all liberals are traitors because we don't want to toe the line on what they consider good citizenship.

When Bush got into office, we had a budget surplus; we're now in a huge deficit, primarily because of his silly tax cuts benefiting the rich, and not, as some conservatives would tell you, because of welfare.

Another thing that pisses me off is the demonification of Clinton. Yes, he had sex with an intern. Shocking!! And yes, he lied about it. You probably would too. People seem to forget that men have been having affairs with women who aren't their wives for millennia. And so they say, well Clinton lied. Ok, Clinton lied about sex. But Bush lies about everything! How many government documents in the current administration are still held secret--confidential. Bush is a huge liar, or if he isn't, then he's too stupid to remember all the things he's told, so he lies unintentionally. What about the uranium? What about the valid reasons for going to war? Oh, NOW you tell us it wasn't about weapons of mass destruction? Funny, I could have swore that's why we attacked Iraq. It wasn't a war; it was an invasion. And still no WMDs, eh? What about Bush's dealings with corporations? You're telling me there's no illegality there? He still won't release specific details about the oil company he bought before he bought the Texas Rangers. So maybe Clinton lied, but Bush lies too, and tries to cover up. And the public obligingly covers its ears when what liberal media there is left actually publishes anything on it. Oh no, don't tell us bad things about our president, we don't want to hear it. At least he isn't getting blowjobs, eh? Thank goodness for that!
10:23 a.m. | Friday, August 1, 2003