Anyone ever heard "Rain City" by Turin Brakes? Yeah, it's good times. So I was thinking, "Hey, this is a good song. I shall go to Amazon and buy the down load for $0.99, and all will be good."

Except. It's like fifteen minutes and costs like three bucks.

Anyone out there willing to upload it for me 'cause you love me? Please?

*pulls out the puppy eyes*


You guys are AWESOME!




In other news it was like 75 degrees today and holy CRAP I missed the sun. We had La Salsa for lunch and then ice cream at Coldstone. All of which we ate outside while staring at fountains. There are times when I love San Diego like burning.

And then we got a single tank of gas for $50 and I remembered why we're moving away as soon as Karot graduates. Dargh.


BUT I STILL LOVE YOU SUNSHINE. DON'T EVER LEAVE ME AGAIN. <3

To all those who treat our private parking lot as

A) Liquor Store Parking

B) Art Gallery Parking

C) A Place To Drop Off Your Kids When They Go To School Across The Street

D) KFC Parking

E) Happenin' Night Spot Party Parking

F) Antique Store Parking

We know what the cars that are supposed to be in our lot look like.
If we know where you are, we will call you on your shit. Because you don't want two young women out late at night walking home by themselves. Especially not on New Year's Eve. Especially not when they pay to park in the spot you just pulled into.

No, we don't care if your daughter said no-one would mind. We mind. And no, we don't care if you give us the stink-eye. Don't put your hand in the cookie jar if you don't want your fingers bitten. The police know how to speed down this road. We've called them before.

No Love,
The Girls Who Really Do Live Above The Liquor Store, You Pretentious, Middle-Aged Twat.

"I'm too much of a spaz to write in my own journal anymore."

That's right. It's karotsamused. Why do I even preface this anymore?

( Stuff we did, posh potties, and Holy Shit, A Plant! )

Eight:

Ike (currently sick with fin rot, on day five of medication and still eating and acting like himself)
Alexander (formerly The Guinness Fish, now hard-pressed not to keep his bowl clean)
Mickey (entrenched behind his little wall of rocks and peering out over Battlefield Living Room)
Sammy (who needs a cleaning and is growing a fine white beard)
Travis (the Rooster Fish, who jumps out of his water to attack his food)
Casey (who gets bigger and purpler every day, the spaz)
Sydney (the daylight sky fish, whose plants are now growing entirely upside down as they float on the surface and give him something to cuddle)
Taisa (the midnight fish, that still hasn't got the hang of eating, but rather treats it more like play. Also, this is one pretty fish)

...

Eight bettas. All in separate bowls. Not to mention Phil, Philbaby1, Rhodes, and Q-Tip, the resident houseplants. That's a lotta life going on in a little apartment.

Oh, yeah, and the Girl and me, too. And whatever's growing in the dishes in the kitchen. Yeeg.

I have a cold again. Which seems like the only time I post here, but I feel there are a few folks I have been lax in talking to recently and they should know why.


Also, Facebook totally owns me. Wow so fun and weird and fun and random all the people from high school and college that I've found. Though mostly college. Awww, I miss Kenyon.


Let's see, other news since I'm here and coherent for a few minutes in a row...

- Dad got a MacBook today for when school starts at the end of the month (he's going to be 57 on the first of October and this will be his first quarter at UCSD where he'll be getting a BA in English Literatures. I'm kind of stupid proud of him).

- Dad's MacBook came with a free iPod Nano. Which he gave to me. It's blue and named Ben and I <3 both it and my papa for being so sweet to me.

- Karot has been working lots this summer and between us we've managed to have some fun, visit some people close by, and spend some really quality time with both our families.

- Karot's Grandmother died the day after labour day, but everyone is holding up well. We spent time with her parents and it was just nice. Also, I think they don't hate me, so that leaves me thrilled in an entirely selfish way.

- My own Gma turns 93 this upcoming Tuesday, and I'm pretty stoked on that. She's had shingles for the past couple of months, which has been rough, but she's pulling along okay and just as wacky as ever. My parents are spending pretty much all their free time up at her place now, and it's interesting to watch my mother go from indulgent to frustrated to just resigned all in the space of five minutes. She has the patients of a saint, that woman.

- Bear is in Colorado right now and the family all miss her and I've finally, finally come to terms with the fact that my kid sister is the Gold Child. 'Cause she is. But somehow I'm really proud of her for that. I have this life that I'm insanely happy with, and if she can go out into the world and make her music and find that same thing for herself, then I know she'll be okay no matter what.

- We now own seven fish. Seven. This is officially the end of the line because there's just no where else to put another fish. Except for that one spot with the empty bowl on the bookcase. But we're saving that for when we find a little girl fish we just have to take home. For the time being it's staying empty.

- Today I finished reading Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, which was exactly what I needed. Despite the fact that she says over and over all these things I already know about writing and the writing process she does it with such good humour and irreverance that it just hit home. I think I may actually have to go and get some work done sometime soon. Woe is me.

- Karot (who is sitting on the sofa with me and being sympathetic despite my constant whining about how my head is full of snot) would like it noted that just the other day we watched My Neighbors the Yamadas, and loved every minute of it. It's not often that you find movies like this, stories that told for the sheer joy of the moment, with genuine whimsy. That's right, it's whimsical, and perfectly lovely. There's laughter that stems from the truth of family, and other moments that nothing more that happily absurd. There is even one perfect scene of quiet personal tragedy that made me smile because of the truth of it all.

- Karot starts school at the end of the month with my dad, and she's getting geared up for it slowly but surely. It means fewer work hours but more time doing work at home. It also means more time figuring out work schedules and bus routes and all kinds of things. It also means I get to wander around campus and pretend I'm a student. ...I wonder if I'll run into Papa. Heh.

- "High School Musical 2 was a disappointment and Corbin Bleu is still gay." Both of Karot's statements are true, though I would have to add that I did love the bit in the movie where Chad and Ryan traded shirts between scenes. I want to know what went down in the locker room to make that happen.

- Vanessa Hudgens, star of the previously mentioned HSM world, recently made the news because someone leaked naked pictures she took of herself when she was like 15. What makes this amazing was that my dad knew about it.

Scene: *follows a conversation between Karot and myself about Ashley Tisdale and how we <3 her while in the car with dad after work today*
Dad: *driving* Yeah, some Disney girl had naked pictures on the internet--
Me and Karot: Vanessa!
Dad: --They said it was going to ruin her career but I don't buy it. I'd never even her of her before now.
Me and Karot: *give him gossipy details on the story*
Dad: Well, times sure have changed. I mean, it's not like that's not how she is all the time under her clothes anyway.
Karot: Magic nakedness!
Dad: Heh.

- The KFC across the street from us is now surrounded by a chain-link fence with a large white banner reading, "Closed for remodeling" and then address of the next closest KFC. This would be less wildly entertaining if the building were, in fact, still standing. You rather reassess your definition of "remodeling" when faced with a lot composed of nothing more than one unlit KFC bucket and a whole lot of dirt.

- My only real concern with the new Pod is that I'll get too caught up in listening to Prairie Home Companion podcasts or something and forget to look before crossing the street and die.


That about sums it up for meaningful content over here. It's time for dinner and then bed (boo work at 7am I'm still not sure I'll be well enough to go to), besides which all those fish need feeding too. Maybe that's why it looks like they're all giving me the stink-eye from the tops of their bowls.

Papa and sister came home last night after two months out of the country.

I have the most wonderful, patient, loving girlfriend in the history of girlfriends.

My dog bite is doing much better, really only being a little bit of a bone bruise on the back of my hand.

I have four days off in a row starting today. Which will include a walk around our neighborhood, a trip to the farmer's market, cleaning the fish bowls and possibly the watching of some movies. It will definitely include general laziness and unrepentant lounging.





...ohmyGod is it good to be home again.

And what do I decide needs doing? (Right after I put away the new spaghetti pot and casserole dish. ...And the box of books in the living room.) Setting up my new email. Ahuuurgh.

Such a pain in the butt this is! And Lord only knows why I saved some of these old email. DELETED all of you! But I am finding that I have a rather marvelous collection of recipes-- both family and otherwise --that I think I may post this evening if I haven't torn my hair out before then.

How about a trade? Perhaps someone out there has a good recipe for a casserole I can try out in my new thrift-store super-bargin-find-of-awesomeness?

It should be noted that Karot and I are Officially moved out of the old place. Left the keys on the counter along with a forwarding address and cruised on out the door.


...wow. Hee. It's all kinds of odd and relief filled and everything. Does kind of mean I really DO have to finish unpacking all those books now. Eh heh.

karotsamused speaking. At the moment, Rune is chowing down on fast food because THERE ARE NO PLATES IN THE OLD APARTMENT. All the kitchen stuff aside from the pantry snacks are iiiiin the neeeew kitchen.


...Where are we going to put all this?


...Also Sasuke is so badass. I'm going to miss him when he gets put in that barrel.

We have. An apartment. U-unf.

Pictures to come this evening 'cause I never remember to post this kind of stuff until like five minutes before we have to walk out the door.*

Vienna Teng concert here we come.





*There would be more abject squee but we both just woke up from a nap. Aharrrr.