In other news, I'm getting older. Damnit.

Mar 03, 2008

A client with whom I’d been working to get set up, has finally finished setting me up. I’ve got the work description, I’ve got my initial reading material, I’ve got a purchase order. Yay!! (And hopefully the delay in getting me set up won’t imperil the team’s deadlines.) This is money I didn’t figure into my budget for the year even though I’ve been working on this deal since December, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s all gravy. Well, I’ll have to pay a big chunk in taxes on it, so there goes about...oh, half of it (just to be safe)...but still, the additional income is nice. Next up: CDs, or a money market account? Which will earn me more? (The ‘rents had the suggestion of setting up a series of CDs that mature domino-fashion, month after month after month. Then each month I can either roll it over or have more liquid assets to handle emergency expenses.)

In other news, Wednesday should be interesting. First time in my life, I’m going to dye my hair. (My hair’s long enough that the grey shows fairly much, on top; and the bottom is, of course, quite a bit lighter. I want to be a teeny bit less obvious.) Hopefully, the weather will be nice enough to open the windows and let out the ammonia-oid smell.

If nothing else, this should be entertaining.

The cats are going to hate me…

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Boy, was there competition for these slots.

Feb 27, 2008

I've been tagged (by She) to, aherm, "Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself."

Since my unofficial motto is "All I ask of life is a constant and exaggerated sense of my own importance", I'm dropping the "unimportant" bit of that meme. After all, I don't celebrate my birthday because a) I am too amazing to fit all of the celebrations into a single day; and b) if I were to be celebrated properly, the economies of several countries would be destroyed. I am simply not unimportant.

At any rate, the six things:

1. I shelve my books alphabetically by author, grouped by genre. (My CDs? Alpha by artist, then alpha by title. My DVDs? Alpha by title.)
2. I cannot stand to be around musical theatre, karaoke, or light opera. I have perfect pitch, so if anyone is just the slightest bit sharp or flat, it's as delightsome as a thousand fingers on a chalkboard. (I can dismiss the traditional birthday singing/torture as "a bunch of people making noise which may or may not be vaguely musical"; but anything that either features fewer than three voices or makes any pretensions toward being a performance needs to be pitch-perfect...or I'll wince.
3. I'm one of the few people I know who has a fairly good relationship with their own body. I don't hate my weight. I don't even necessarily dislike it, even though I'm medically overweight. I dislike the tone of a few muscle groups, but that's it.
4. I own a pair of bellydance pants, even though I'm not planning on making performance-dancing a big part of my life. They were just way too cool-looking not to buy. (See?)
5. I tend to volunteer for most conventions that I attend. They're my way of giving back to the community that's encouraged my behavior all these years.
6. I keep all my clothes sorted by type (tops, bottoms, jackets, dresses) and sorted by color and hue within those groups. I've actually maintained this organization system for the past 20 years. (If I ever go so far as to sort by style or sleeve length, though...somebody shoot me.)

I now tag...whomever wants to be tagged.

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At least that's what I keep telling myself.

Feb 25, 2008

I’m back in my place, after being chased out so that the kitchen counters and bathtub could be resurfaced. The kitties and I decamped to a local hotel for two nights, and returned yesterday. However, things are not quite done.

The caulking around the bathtub was removed for the resurfacing, and was not reapplied. I can’t use my tub, because any water that gets back there could contribute toward dry rot. (Not that it’s my property or anything...but there’s the general principle of not making a mess when avoidable.) While the bathtub would cure and dry in less than 20 hours, the kitchen counter won’t be usable for at least three days after the resurfacing. Last night I left the oscillating fan in the kitchen, in hopes of speeding things along. This morning, the counter is still ever-so-slightly tacky to the touch.

I wiped down the walls, wiped down all surfaces in the bathroom, mopped the kitchen and bathroom floors, and vacuumed 85% of the apartment with my new vacuum (bought yesterday as part of my Grande Splurge.) I put everything back in the kitchen cupboards and drawers (I can’t use the countertop, but I could put the dishes away.) I called the management office to have them send someone to caulk the tub two and a half hours ago, and no one’s shown up. I can’t shower. I can’t put my coffeemaker back. Things are reaching critical levels here, folks.

More..!

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Don't forget to write the correct year on your checks.

Feb 07, 2008

So I wonder: what would happen if I suddenly started dating my checks according to the Chinese lunar calendar? Would they be kicked back? Or would the receivers of said checks have me declared mentally incompetent?

This being day one of the Year of the Rat, I might just have a fairly positive year:

What happens on the first day of the new year reflects the rest of the year to come I sent in some more final paperwork for a Very Important Client: another big name on the resume; a good chunk of change; a chance to keep up a valuable skillset; and a chance to work with someone who has, thus far, been a pretty cool person. We seem to have a good rapport. (It doesn’t hurt that I know how deliberately corporations move - so the fact that I’ve been in talks with this person since shortly before Christmas and we’re only now getting the final steps done, doesn’t faze me.) I’m happy, they’re happy, everybody’s happy.

Opening windows and/or doors brings in the good luck of the new year. Even before I realized what day it was, I noticed that the weather was fairly sunny. Accordingly, I opened the drapes on the big windows at the front of the apartment and left them that way most of the day.

Sweets are eaten to ensure the consumer a “sweet” year. I had about 1/3 of a one-layer chocolate cake, over the course of the day. Not as sweet as something from a top-of-the-line bakery, but definitely sweet.

Bathe yourself in pomelo leaves and some say that you will be healthy for the rest of the new year. Um. Well, I used juniper-scented shower gel and body lotion; and I drank several glasses of Fresca (essentially, carbonated weak grapefruit juice). Does that count for anything? [And yes, I actually enjoy Fresca.]

[Dear ghods. I just realized that today I had chocolate cake and grapefruit juice. Though not for breakfast.]

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