So that manager I complained about literally a year ago?
Lost her job yesterday.

The bathroom remodel is finished, and it's fucking GORGEOUS and we love it so much omg.

cederfoxy's recovery from brain surgery was slower than they would have preferred, but steady. Their enunciation may never be as crisp as it was before, and that's okay. They worry about their ability to focus and remember, and that's okay, too (I don't notice any deficit here, but I don't live in their head).

We finished watching White Collar -- and then Leverage, then took a break for some Angel before Netflix lost the contract, and then Leverage: Redemption, and now we're watching Librarians. Why yes, they do admire Christian Kane, why do you ask? Also, with Roommate we just finished what Netflix has of the Great British Baking Show for TV Night, so maybe now it's time to resume Manifest.

I finally got my properly-gendered passport, and we have a reservation to enter the West Coast Trail on July 6. We're conditioning and practicing and building stamina and spending way too much money at REI, but it's going to be GREAT. We're super looking forward to it, though we have contingency plans just in case we get into the wilderness and discover we're not as ready as we thought we were. As part of that preparation, we're backpacking in the nearby mountains as often as we can.

Cheers!

I've spent a good portion of the last 60-72 hours some manner of fuming. ( I probably should cut-tag this fucker )

oh, and I can't say one bit of this on facebook because EVERY SINGLE PERSON I'M MAD AT IS THERE. And when I do say any of it to them, it will be to their face, not a passive aggressive angry post I EXPECT them to read and react to. Instead I write this simply passive angry post that I DON'T expect any of them to see.

Though, to be completely honest, I'm actually past the rage part. Now I'm just getting shit done. There will be a house meeting, though. Because For The Love Of GOD why can't these people put the dishes in the motherfucking dishwasher?

( Yeah, yeah. It's been a long time. )

So, I'm keeping on keeping on. More highs than lows. Go me!

Happy Mother's Day, queenpeil

I got the kids' grades in the mail several days ago. As always, everyone aced their math class. Other classes, not so much. Son1 and Son2 had almost straight Ds (with a couple exceptions). Son3 got almost straight As, so he earned a new video game for the PS2. For the summer, they are going to mostly spend my work-week with their dad, and the weekends with me, the exception being July 4 weekend and the week that I'm in California for Comic-Con.

Speaking of Comic-Con, in exchange for Marco (so he can be donated to charity and claimed as a tax deduction), butterfly's mom bought my plane tickets, a family membership to OMSI, and gave me $100. I think I made out pretty good. ;) So I'll be flying south on Monday the 20th and returning Monday the 27th of July.

As previously mentioned, I applied for a promotion at my work. Officially, I didn't get it. Unofficially, I made the short list. I'm okay with this. The boss suggested I apply for QA next time it opens -- which is a better fit for the things I'd really like to do for the department, anyway. My very cool boss did not come out and say this (I only just realized now about that being a better fit), but he did suggest I apply for future support staff positions, and mentioned QA specifically.

DJ at Love from the Asexual Underground posted a video that got me thinking on what I make. It came at about the time I finished reading The Vagina Monologues, and it might just inspire me to actually type up and post my reaction to that book. On other topics, I want to say stuff, but I'm currently in a place where I'm kind of floundering for a concrete message. So if I do stay on that horse, don't expect much more than articulated confusion. Surely I'll get better over time.

Though maybe I need to visit my therapist again.

Didn't get the promotion, but I was a close runner-up, according to the boss.

I'd say more, but I need to sleep sometime before noon.

So, I've replace Marco with Misty - a 1997 red Mercury Mystique that runs nice, is roomier, and the creature comforts actually work. *g* Marco is on his way to the glue factory, i.e., donated to charity by Butterfly's mom in return for a couple major purchases, including my tickets to Comic-Con and a year of Omsi membership. Whoo hoo!

The boys are out of school. I haven't gotten their grades yet, but I'm not real hopeful. I expect Son3 to have done well, but Son2 didn't get to walk for his 8th grade promotion, and Son1... needs to get cracking next year. Butterfly's term is also over, which means she'll be able to get some sleep between now and the start of next term.

I'm spending a lot more time with the NorthShadows, old friends from high school that I'm as likely to refer to as siblings or clansmen than friends. In fact, my brother Dawlmesh is staying with us for the summer, sharing the basement with the boys. I'd like for our kinswoman recently transplanted north from our hometown to spend some more time over here - she's more fannish than the rest of the NorthShadows, so I think she and Butterfly might get along. It would be cool if they got along well enough for an extended adjustment to household composition, since it would be a step in the right direction of long-term fiscal reliability. Which is to say, the more the landlord gets out of us now, the less likely she is to say "OMG I need the equity now and I'm selling the house: Get out." I hope.

Ah, that may be news. Thegrungediva is getting married in July, and she and her fiancé are already talking about a larger house in the suburbs of Hillsboro. Housing out there is not cheap, but that's where they both work, and presumably they like it there, so.... Anyway, I don't know how soon they are planning to buy, but she's thinking they'll need to sell this house and his house in order to buy the new house. It would be good for me to have a property investment, but right now the bank won't even lend me $3k for a car. $300k for a house would be out of the question. OTOH, she didn't break down crying when I said I was planning to be here seven years (now six, I recently realized), so maybe I've got some time. She did make some noise about using some of the past rent payments as credit toward downpayment, so I know she's not inherently opposed to the idea of me buying it, but the feasibility studies are not coming back golden.

I've applied for a promotion at work. Two of the team leads are moving out of state, so there are openings. No disciplinary responsibilities, but it would be a step up the ladder. The department I really want to work for might actually not be this company, since the nature of this business tends to put several service providers in bed together. *shrug* It's kind of hard to grill your boss about how to get a job for a different employer.

Overall, life is good, like it usually is.

My car is soon to be caputt. The crank shaft is knocking very badly, and the mechanic (whom I love) reports repair will be more than a replacement car. On the good side, looking shouldn't take long, since he has a 1997 Mercury Mystique that feels okay. It has some of the nicer features, like a 4-body trunk, dual front air bags, CD, AC, and power locks. Sadly, it also has power windows, but you win some, you lose some.

So. Who wants to lend me $2695? (I'm also applying with my credit union.)

Son3 turned 12 a few days ago. He asked for Chuck E Cheese, so after hanging with the other NorthShadows for most of the day (doing inventory and planning for the next event), I took the whole passel of folks out for pizza and games. It was a good day.

Next weekend I'll be out of town for the Kumoricon staff retreat.

But now, I need to sleep, for after than I'm going to the factory outlet stores, and after that I'm going out to Dante's to see Christian Kane in concert.

Also, Marco's engine is being very noisy, so I'll be going to the mechanic tomorrow.

olivermoss, we need to get those plane tickets before I run out of money!

This would be why I'm less close now with thegrungediva and borg than I used to be. Pair-bonds tend to be prioritized over every other friendship.

It would also be why, I suspect, sex outside the pair-bond can disrupt the pair-bond.

So, over Memorial Day weekend, Son1 and I went a-pirating with my kinsmen at the NorthShadow Inn. I had an absolutely fantastic time. I did not want to return to mundania at all.

olivermoss went with me for the first night and day. I was delighted to have her along, though it seems my air mattress had some kind of grudge against the two of us. It deflated almost entirely, leading to even more restlessness than usual on my part, which (along with the cold) caused me to be quite disruptive to poor Rath. After an exciting day that sadly did not include the evening fireshow, Rath adjourned home to sleep in her own, firm, flat, uninhabited, quiet bed.

There was lots of sunscreen, and boffering, and I sold some of my leftover Cookie Lee inventory -- so yay!

I may have learned most of the rules of Tablero (or Toblero, apparently), though drinking on my part was extremely conservative given I don't know how badly I react nor to what (the one and only time I've been drunk, I had three glasses of wine and had to crawl to the toilet to vomit because I couldn't walk). I also learned a few filthy drinking songs :)

For the second night, I almost managed two bedmates to stave off the chill, but at the last minute ended up with one, who was not unopposed to returning for the last night. The bed did not deflate with him.

Things to remember: tarps are our friends; indeed, yea verily, so is drinking enough water; and, it is better to have the night off after a trip than otherwise.

Son1 had a good game today :D They didn't win the Championship, but they played hard and my boy got some ball-time. The post-season party is going to be at my house Thursday night.

Son2 and Son3 did some great work on the proto-garden in the front yard. There's a lot of stuff to do now in preparation for the party. I always think of these things after I commit. *sigh*

Also: Gathering next weekend. I'm very jazzed.

Son1 is playing in the rugby championship game on Saturday. It is Saturday at 2pm at Delta Park on field #7. It's going to be awesome :D

Kumoricon is trucking along. It's drama-free right now, which makes me happy.

I've seen Star Trek, um, three times so far. I'm going again on Friday.

Son1 and I are going to a Pirate Gathering for memorial day weekend. We'll be with the NorthShadow Clan. He's Valefor; I'm Jocelyn. I'm trying to get olivermoss to come with us as my slavegirl.

Son2 appears to be on track for improving his grades. I turned in my ticket request for his promotion ceremony today.

dawlmesh is staying at Marathon Manor for a couple weeks. I really like having him around.

In other news, it's time for work.

From http://www.feministing.com/archives/015320.html (follow the link for an awesome video of this proclamation):

Mother's Day Proclamation by Julia Ward Howe

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe out dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

Son1 has been playing Rugby with the Westside Alliance for the last month or two, and yesterday his team won their tournament match 50 - 15. *chair boogies*

Son2 spent Friday in "Pentagames," a statewide math competition. He took a personal 2nd place in Math Tac Toe, and his school took two 2nd place events and one 3rd place event. He has a trophy coming in the mail.

Son3 got all As and one B on his most recent report card.

I've been mostly kicking back, watching my weekly shows and trying to read the 18 gazillion tabs I have open. Later today I'm going to see 17 Again and Wolverine with butterfly and wisen_heimer. (Guess who picked which movie.)

I kind of want to vid a particular song to Leverage, but my clipping software currently freezes on save. Meh. Any Windows based clipping program worth trying?

I think I'm going to end up buying a month of paid time over at LJ so I can import my inactive icons. I still haven't cleaned up the transfer of information for the move, such as importing all my entries/comments, locking the LJ down, and putting up a pointer-post.

Son1 has a rugby game Saturday at 2:00 at Delta Park. Who wants to go?

So, one of the things that made the Week of Catastrophe so catastrophic was suddenly owing $900 to my credit card processor.

( Good news )

( Feeling poor is not a financial condition )

The above is entirely reprinted from a newspaper column that queenpeil sent me (Thanks, Mom!). She probably got it from The World. Any typos are mine.

My schedule improved in January, going from Friday through Monday to Monday through Thursday, which means more sleep and more time for friends.
I got a raise.
Son3 earned the release of the PS2 with his grades.
My boss asked me to take a back-up Lead shift in March, meaning I had to be trained to be a floor supervisor for the graveyard shift, and this will look good if I buck for promotion at any point.
I can afford to get my timing belt replaced finally. It's in the shop at this moment.
There are an abundance of February birthdays, signifying many of my friends have survived yet another year.

But also others who know my roommate, thegrungediva, IRL (or otherwise) might be interested to know she seems to doing well now, but yesterday, not so much.

So, Saturday instead of going to Darcelle's with a huge pack of peeps, Butterfly and I went to Coldstone for ice cream and the movies to see Prince Caspian (which was awesome). Somewhere between Coldstone and this morning, my wallet disappeared.

I got a lot of sleep on Sunday, realizing only after a five hour nap that it might have something to do with the sunburn I acquired on Saturday.

This morning I realized the absence of my wallet -- including my ID, my debit card, various other plastic, and $11 cash. OTOH, I had my paycheck. OTOH, a paycheck is kind of hard to cash with no ID. And I was in need of gasoline

I managed to coax my car -- nearly stalling about 8 times -- along to three credit unions and the movie theater before I called wisen_heimer with my tale of woe. After she lent me her Sorento, I went to my credit union, where I was able to cash my paycheck, get some cash, and A REPLACEMENT DEBIT CARD right then and there! And then I made it to work on time.

And then I was able to use her gascan - which I had also borrowed - to get a gallon of gas to ensure my ability to arrive home. Which I have done.

So, the plan for tomorrow has been adjusted, since I have a job interview at 10:00 AM, a Cookie Lee meeting at 3:30, and Vestry at 7:00. It doesn't leave as much time for packing as I'd hoped, but I'll still go buy some more boxes so Butterfly and the boys can get some more done. People are still welcome to stop by and help, but I can't call it a party if I'm going to miss most of it.

Wednesday shall still be cleaning at thegrungediva's starting at noon, especially since we're having a PartyLite candle party that evening (TGD: call your guests to remind them of the time and to bring their payment devices).

We'll deal with Thursday when it comes.

ETA: Wallet has been found! Huzzah! (It was hiding on a bookshelf. On top of books.)