Did you know you could fly

So I took Friday off for Samhain, did the grocery shopping, carved a pumpkin, roasted the seeds, made two pumpkin pies, and built a fire in the fireplace from scavenged wood felled by Gustav (I did the same with Katrina wood in 2005 - feels appropriate) all while listening to my now-traditional Samhain CD - Loreena McKennitt's The Visit. Did my now-traditional mini-ritual at midnight. Also spent some time reading old Due South fic to get me in the winter mood (works every time).

Spent most of Saturday lounging around and catching up on my TV watching. Also watched the movie Friends & Family, which is *hilarious*. If you haven't seen it - basically it centers around Stephen and Danny, a gay couple who work as high-ranking enforcers for the mob in New York. Stephen's parents call up and tell him they're on the way for a surprise visit, which throws the couple into chaos, because while Stephen's parents know he's gay, they think he owns a catering business. When he explains his problem to the Don he agrees to help them maintain the illusion by having his people stand in for the fictional catering business (after all, he says with stereotypical mafia exuberance - 'you two are Family!') Thus begins the preparations for a party in honour of Stephen's parents, with the Don's two effeminate sons doing the cooking and the decorating (one wants to be a chef and the other an interior designer) and the Don's security forces taking lessons from an old queen on how to act 'gay', and the Don hiring drag queens as entertainment. The whole thing is brilliantly funny and I'm half-tempted to buy it just so I can keep watching it over and over.

Sunday I went over I.'s place and got introduced to the addictiveness that is MySims Kingdom. *sigh* If only I had my own Wii.

This morning I found a roach in my shower (while I was in it, no less). Quite a rude wake-up, but it's finally getting cold around here, so I should have expected I'd be seeing some soon as they try to find warmer places to live. Bugs in the South suck.

So I was drinking some generic grocery store 'cola' earlier and the can said 'no sodium' And sure enough, it was listed as zero on the nutrition label. How can you have soda without sodium??

New Orleans. You drive down the interstated toward New Orleans and it's like this progression of destruction. First it's few branches down, then it's a few trees down, then it's lots of trees down, then the trees down outnumber the trees still standing. Saw a house on its side 20 feet from its foundation. It's clear the emphasis has been on getting things up and running not on making things pretty. Stores are open but their signs are lying in several pieces in their parking lot.

A man on horseback on the side of the road. Guess he couldn't afford a car.

docorion. I approve.

Time with shadesong and yendi and Elayna. Very wonderful.

Time with harkalark. Also wonderful.

museumfreak and kires.

We Love Katamari. Must get a PS2 sometime soon.

TIVO envy.

Incredible food. Including an orgasmic chocolate tart.

Rent. I quite liked it, but then I've not seen the play. I'm told it wasn't a good adaptation. To say the least.

Title of the Song. D00d.

Creme Broule.

The Princess Bride.

Really good conversation.

Great people.

Lots to be thankful for.

Guinness. Makes me wish I liked the stuff.

1) My bread has a grain. And yes, I'm aware of the punnish nature of that sentence. But really. You know how wood has a grain? My bread has a grain. All the little bread molecules are lined up in a swirly pattern. It is very disconcerting. Tastes normal, though.

2) One of the big disadvantages to living alone is that there is no one to help when you can't get the applebutter jar open. My fingers feel like they're about to twist off and my palm is sore. The jar is still vacuum sealed for my protection, however.

Bad sciatica day. Grr. I've been spoiled with good sciatica weeks if not months lately. Six months ago this would hardly have been a blip in the general sciatica continuum -- bad like usual. Now that I'm spoiled, it's a notably bad day and that makes me cranky. My exercises help, but I can't exactly do them at work. I'd look a right idiot laying down on my stomach on the floor of my office. Not to mention I think it's a wee bit dusty. Cleaning folk could do a better job.

Weekend was good. Went to farmer's market, got sweet sweet corn on the cob and honey nut raisin bread. And had an absolutely incredible bran raisin muffin for breakfast. Plus got to hang out with E., which is turning out to be much fun. Went to movie night at M.'s Saturday night. E. and J. and I. (he with whom I bonded over gaming and anime) from work were there, along with M.'s fiance, J.'s husband, and several other people I didn't know. We watched 'Saved', which I had already seen, but it had been awhile, and it is a wonderful movie that I did not mind seeing again. M. has promised that movie night will be a regular occurrence, so yay for social activities with work folks.

On another weekend-related note, I discovered that Netflix has anime. I was a member of Netflix many moons ago, before grad school, when they were just starting up, and while they had a lot in the movie department, their anime collection was minimal. Not anymore. So far they've had everything I've searched for -- if it's released they have it. This is a wonderful wonderful thing. So this weekend was 'Witch Hunter Robin' and '.hack//SIGN'. There will be much anime watching from now on. I have a list of all those wonderful shows I missed when grad school took over my life. Time to start getting caught up.

The first hour after lunch is always the worst. I generally try to put off eating lunch for as long as I can stand it so that I can go home as soon after lunch as possible. I understand why certain cultures invented the idea of siesta. No matter when I end up taking lunch, I want nothing more immediately afterward than to take a nap. Motivation to do work drops into the negative.

Today at lunch, I went to sit down at my usual bench. I noticed as I sat down that there was what appeared to be crumbs on part of the bench. I picked a clean part and went to brush the crumbs off, only to realise they were crumbs at all.

They were pieces of bugs. Lots and lots of pieces of bugs. A wing here, a leg there, a thorax over there, an abdomen over here. Must have been hundreds of little bugs all ground up. I have no idea where this biological detritus came from or what purpose it had in being there but I was not eager to share my bench with it. It was hardly appetising. So I found another bench. I am, however, insanely curious as to its origin.

In other news, I won a free Dr. Pepper. Considering that I drink one almost everyday, and they advertise that 1 in 12 wins, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I think the last time I won I accidently threw my cap out. Must remember not to do that this time. It's only a $1 soda, but $1 is $1.

Let's see.

Just got back from picking blueberries with a bunch of UU people. That was fun. I now have fresh blueberries enough to last the whole summer or longer. Must freeze some. Got organic corn too. Nice little farm about 30 miles outside of Baton Rouge. I may have to go back on my own some time.

The service today was in celebration of Pride week, and was really very nicely done. The idea of being open and accepted in a church setting of all places is both foreign and refreshing to me.

Of course, now I'm just bored.

I accomplished stuff yesterday. I finished a novel, unpacked 4 boxes of books, watched a movie and two episodes of Dead Like Me from Netflix (which I'm rapidly becoming addicted to), and baked a loaf of cranberry bread.

Now I'm bored. I don't want to watch any more Dead Like Me, or any of the old Doctor Who episodes I have, or any of the anime I have still on my list to watch. I don't really want to read anything right now, even though I'm still only halfway through Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, not to mention almost finished Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, and just started Herodotus's account of Egypt. None of the above really appeal at the moment. I don't want to play a computer game. I'm too lazy to cook dinner -- might just munch on cranberry bread or possibly order pizza. I'd really like to take a nap (berry picking in the hot sun is more tiring than you'd think) but if I do, I'll never get to sleep tonight and I don't really want to be a zombie all day tomorrow, particularly considering tomorrow is my day to work late (only until 5, but still).

Grr. Boredom sucks.

1 hour and counting to the LSU phone interview. I'm nervous as hell. Once it's over I have to hightail it to campus to try and catch the last part of my class and turn in my abstract.

I've got plans to go to get fondue with a friend tonight. I've been looking forward to it all week, but she was sick on Tuesday and I haven't heard from her since then. She's got chronic health problems like me and I'm afraid she'll call and cancel. I'll understand if she does, but I'll be mightily disappointed. I think I deserve a reward for this week.