Cascading downwards

I may not have mentioned that I bought a tablet computer - mostly because it had major problems. Finally sent it to tech support (again) this week after thoroughly discussing problem over phone. The message on my answering machine today indicates they agree with my assessment:

I received your tablet and checked it out and the problem is ... bizarre.

OK, then, I see it's doing the same thing for them that it was for me. Good. But I'm still amused that the official diagnosis was "bizarre."

I don't think I mentioned before, but Mom visited this weekend to see the new place. She very pleased to see us in an actual decent apartment (not to mention being able to sleep in an actual guest room, inflatable mattress on the floor notwithstanding).

So her flight today was at 10:30. She wanted to be dropped off around 9, just to make sure there was plenty of time for security lines and so forth. And because we were unsure about traffic, we left the house at 8.

With the end result that I arrived at work 45 minutes early. Forty-five minutes! What a waste. But it's not quite enough time to be worth going home, so ....

Mom was also tickled by my (relatively) new curly hair. I myself am still trying to figure out how my hair can just turn curly in my late twenties. Weird. I'm sure it's hormone levels, but I didn't know they could do that. I guess I really did get some of dad's hair genes.

We had a lovely visit. We took her and Rich's mom out for a joint birthday dinner (their birthdays are two weeks from now and two weeks ago, respectively), and just kind of hung out all of Saturday, shopping and talking. We came home and she and Linda chatted while I put all my books away.

Books - I seperated them by genre this time (after shelving the paperbacks in the bookcase with the shorter shelves). I have an entire bookcase of just speculative fiction (let's summarize that as spaceships, wizards, and vampires) (I have so many cross-genre books I didn't want to break it down into SF, Fantasy, and horror), and three shelves of mysteries. And once I seperated the genre fiction out, I only had a single shelf of non-genre fiction, which I am just finding funny - I really do like the escapism, huh?

And there are still a couple of stacks of "themed" books that will become part of the decor, with these shelves. I'll post pictures - I think everyone who knows me will be amused. And we got this table for the oversize coffee table books. Nice, huh?

OK, enough about my books. Dear to my heart as the subject is. Next (and last) thing for the apartment is hanging the pictures - that'll be fun with concrete walls, huh?

OK, for those of you who didn't know, Rich and I moved again. The old place was driving us insane (ti-ny!), and we had an opportunity for a great place at a great price and jumped on it. So now I'm living in Bronxville, making my commute a whole 2 minutes shorter. And, I have 2 bedrooms, and room to move around, not to mention all the furniture actually fits in the apartment.

Anyway. Yesterday we moved the last of the furniture over. There's stuff left over there (the old place), but it will all fit in our cars. We took over two van loads of stuff yesterday morning (in 95-degree heat, ugh), dropped off the rental van, and then I went to the new place, showered, dressed and showed up for work until 8 PM. It was a long day.

Then, to cap the day, we went over to pick up the cats. The fun part was, Eastchester was having a blackout. Now, just imagine trying to locate two cats (black and dark grey) in a dark apartment, and get them into cat carriers that they do not wish to go into. Thank goodness the carriers were already out, and it was not quite full dark (9:15).

And then, we get the poor things home, they're getting acclimated to an entire new universe as far as they're concerned (and which smells off, I'm sure, due to all the cleaning and new carpet), and there's a thunderstorm. Poor, traumatized creatures.

They seem to be happy with the new universe though.

Tonight, bringing over a few more boxes. And lamps. And my shoes, dammit. And reclaiming the TV stand we were going to leave behind, until we realized the bedroom arrangement put the TV nowhere near the cable outlet. And the freaking pillows we completely forgot about last night until it was bedtime.

You've got to be impressed by what Rich can accomplish when he's motivated. He is so happy to be moving, and determined to be in there as soon as possible that today, on his DAY OFF, he went over there before 8 (astounding) to:

wait for the locksmith
wait for the cable guy
wait for Verizon
help his friend Brian paint the kitchen and living room ceiling (Brian is being paid, therefore Rich is just helping)

Friday, his other day off, is dedicated to waiting for the carpet guy, and helping his friend Curtis install the bathroom vanity, faucet, and 2 ceiling fans.

Think he's ready to get out of the current place?

Amusing sight for the day:

The maintenance staff at the branch I am at today is having a cookout behind the library (in the staff parking area). Gas grill and everything. Too bad they'll be packing up by the time my lunch starts.

My favorite response to the Times article about the anti-contraception movement:

For all the talk about the "culture of life" and poetic pontifications on matrimonial sex, this looks like thinly veiled misogyny to me. Now, if the same parties who put forth such a strong rationale for limiting (women's) access to contraceptives started to clamor for legislative protection for pharmacists who refused to fill Viagra prescriptions for male clients who will not certify that they will use the drug only in the context of connubial, procreative sex, one might begin to take their philosophical/moral/ethical concerns seriously.

Kyle Brown, M.D.
Iowa City

What a brilliant idea. All the sane pharmacists who work with the ones who refuse to dispense contraception should try it.

Make them go away! I don't want to buy them, wear them, or see them on other people:

long shorts, or short pants, as office wear - new york times

What the heck is wrong with a skirt, if it's too hot for pants? I don't get it. Then again, I wore full-length jeans to Key West, because I don't. do. shorts. Or even capris. Pants or skirts. That's all we need, really.

I have finally found a motivational speaker/business guru I can relate to:

The Lazy Way to Success

I think almost everyone reading this has heard my claim that "lazy people are efficient!"

We had a lovely first anniversary. Lots of good wishes from family members. Though I suspect my father had forgotten the date, since he did not mention it in his message on Sunday.

Being the unromantic geeks that we are, we went down into Manhattan and had a picnic lunch with sandwiches from our favorite deli, and then we went to the show at the Hayden planetarium, which I have never been to and Rich has not been to since it was redone. He has wanted to take me there since we started dating (approximately the time it closed for renovation, I believe). Fun show. Good use of subwoofers for vibrating effects when things whoosed by.

Actually, I think a picnic lunch and looking at the stars sounds very romantic (spun in those words as opposed to "planetarium show").

Then we came home, got dressed up, and went back to the Kittle House (site of the wedding) for a fancy dinner (partially paid for by gift certificate [thanks Mom!]). Mmmmmmm. We came home so full we didn't even have the top layer of the wedding cake which I had taken out to defrost. I guess we'll try that tonight. I might take some of it into work so everyone there can try the cake.

OK, all you New York people on my list. I have a meeting in Manhattan tomorrow morning, and I asked for the rest of the day off. What do I want to do with the rest of my day? More precisely, where do I want to go shopping?

And, anyone want to have lunch (my one remaining relative who works in Manhattan isn't coming into the city tomorrow)?