Eyebrow waxing:

I got my eyebrows waxed today. There's always this moment where you're lying there and she starts to put the hot wax on and you think, "why am I doing this again?" Why do I let someone rip off the top layer of my skin, pluck out hair that exists for a reason? But then it's over and you remember that it isn't really that bad and your eyebrows really do look better.

And she did a really good job. I'll have to go back.

Snow day!:

This morning when I woke up I looked out the window. It hadn't snowed any more since last night, so I figured I was SOL on the getting off work thing. I decided to call just to make sure, figuring it didn't take any time and maybe we'd get two hour delayed opening. When I called, I was greeted with the message 'code red. day shift employees are excused today.' I didn't believe it, so I called back. Same message. So I went back to sleep for two more hours. Then when I woke up at 9, I called again. There really is no snow. But I have today off. My roommate is bitter, but she got yesterday off and I didn't, so fair's fair, I guess.

We were all hoping for yesterday off. When asked if he called the snow line before coming in, one guy in an aggrieved voice said "Three times!" Another guy said, "Yeah, and they always make it sound like 'code green, you lazybastard.'"

Technical difficulties:

I can't find the cable to my camera right now, so no New York pictures yet. Soon, I hope; a couple of them are really cute.

Also to come: A complaint in six emails (aka where your tax dollars are going).

But yay! Christian rambling!

Back from NY:

New York was awesome, though I missed seeing Will. I spent the weekend hanging out mostly with two friends from high school and remembering just how cool they are. Much cooler than me. We actually closed out two bars in as many nights, though Sunday night barely counted since the place closed at one. Had delicious 1am $2 falafel from Mahmoun's in the snow.

Saturday night, we went to a bar and met a couple of minor celebrities. One, a former member of the group B3 (some boy band than made it big in Slovakia, apparently-- google b3forever and check out the fansites, you can't make that stuff up), spent the night hitting on my (straight and really hot) friend. And he really liked my pants.

It was a great really shallow weekend of drinking and shopping, though I did make it to the gates. I needed the relaxation, I think.

Going to NY:

So this mess with my car means that there wasn't enough money to go to Chicago or Boston. But it's OK. I'm going to NY instead, to stay with a friend from high school and see M-- and D-- and S-- and N--. So yay, though it's no Chicago. I'll post pictures next week.

Maryland can bite me:

So my car failed the state inspection again. After I spent altogether about $600 getting it fixed, I discover that the tie rod needs to be replaced, the car needs to be realigned, and the headlights, which the EXACT same guy said were within specs 10 days ago are now messed up. The cost? $886. Nope. Not getting it done. I'm going to take it to a different place and try again.

The best part about this is that the guy told me that the tie rod wasn't likely to break, so the impact of the replacement is that my tires won't wear out as fast. On my 14 year old car with 130000 miles and new tires on it. Yeah, like I care.

The obligatory Valentine's Day poem:

This is from the Duanaire Finn. The woman saying this has just defied her king (and either husband or betrothed, depending on which story you read) to run away with Diarmuid, one of his men, who does not love her. They are being hunted by Fionn's men.

SLEEP a little, a little little, thou needst feel no fear or dread,
Youth to whom my love is given, I am watching near thy head.
Sleep a little, with my blessing, Dermuid of the lightsome eye,
I will guard thee as thou dreamest, none shall harm while I am by.
Sleep, O little lamb, whose homeland, was the country of the lakes,
In whose bosom torrents tremble, from whose sides the river breaks.
Sleep, as slept the ancient poet, Dedach, minstrel of the South,
When he snatched from Conall Cernach Eithne of the laughing mouth.
Sleep as slept the comely Finncha ’neath the falls of Assaroe,
Who, when stately Slaine sought him, laid the Hard-head Failbe low.
Sleep in joy, as slept fair Aine, Gailan’s daughter of the west,
Where, amid the flaming torches, she and Duvach found their rest.
Sleep as Degha, who in triumph, ere the sun sang o’er the land,
Stole the maiden he had craved for, plucked her from fierce Deacall’s hand.
Fold of Valour, sleep a little, Glory of the Western world;
I am wondering at thy beauty, marvelling how thy locks are curled.
Like the parting of two children, bred together in one home,
Like the breaking of two spirits, if I did not see thee come.
Swirl the leaves before the tempest, moans the night-wind o’er the lea,
Down its stony bed the streamlet hurries onward to the sea.
In the swaying boughs the linnet twitters in the darkling light,
On the upland wastes of heather wings the grouse its heavy flight.
In the marshland by the river sulks the otter in his den;
While the piping of the peeweet sounds across the distant fen.
On the stormy mere the wild-duck pushes outward from the brake,
With her downy brood beside her seeks the centre of the lake.
In the east the restless roe-deer bellows to his frightened hind;
On thy track the wolf-hounds gather, sniffing up against the wind.
Yet, O Dermuid, sleep a little, this one night our fear hath fled,
Youth to whom my love is given, see, I watch beside thy bed.

One thing about work:

Something sort of interesting, since we can't talk about what we do at home, we talk about it to basically everyone at work who will listen to us. As a result, there are people who, though I do not know their names, I know exactly what frustrations they face with their current projects. You have to vent somehow.

Chinchilla tag:

I just spent 15 minutes chasing one chinchilla around our living room. I was trying to fix their wheel, which was falling off the side of the cage probably because a certain gastronomically challenged chinchilla was trying to use it. And by use it I mean sleep in it because God forbid that she gets any exercise that doesn't involve destroying something. But for a fat thing with legs approximately as long as one of my toes, she's a quick little bugger. I think I got all the chinchilla poop cleaned up from the living room.

And the other chinchilla was sitting in the cage laughing at me. See if I fix their wheel again, Jasper can just sleep on it till it falls off, dumping her down onto the litter below.

All right, I suck:

This week has managed to be absolutely nuts, both at work and outside of work.

B--'s bachelorette party went off rather well last night, though she was perhaps a little too drunk to enjoy the ending. We watched Wimbledon, recommended by P--, which we'll have to make fun of him about later because it was terrible. And I made good Sangria, the kind with raspberries and lemonade.

Friday, a couple of us went to a piano bar, and other than the fact that I got Rocky Horror in my head and couldn't talk for about 6 hourse, it was awesome. Though skeevy guy alert was on pretty high.

So yeah, things are good.

But this web page hasn't died, nor has my email and I'm really lazy, so I'm staying here for now. I plan on moving in a month or so, but I'll give you some lead time on that one.