The freakin' copier at work is in love with me.

Put in a large run and as soon as I walked out the door, it jammed. Fixed it, it ran for a few copies. I walked out the door, and it jammed AGAIN. Repeat the scenario, one more time.

The next time it happened, I said to the machine "ok, you want me to stay in here with you, I'll stay." Yes, now I'm talking to the office equipment

Fifty copies. NO PROBLEMS.

So I walked out the door. Not TWO FEET from the room, it JAMMED AGAIN.

Went back in, fixed it, promised I'd stay til the end of the run. No more problems.

Just what I need. Office equipment with separation anxiety.

Wired News: Need a Building? Just Add Water: "'The Concrete Canvas product tackles the key issues of portability, ease of assembly, durability and cost,' he said. 'The applications in the humanitarian field are immediate and obvious, but there are many other fields where this technology could successfully be deployed.'"

Great in emergency situations - a way to get hospital units set up quickly.

I'm a little concerned about the "other fields". Will we be having little concrete pod towns?

Watched another of our Netflix movies - I (heart) Huckabees. From one end of the spectrum to the other...

Not my kind of movie. Too cerebral. I prefer books for that, not movies. If not for Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman, I don't think I would have watched the whole thing. Not that it was a bad movie on any critical level - just not my kind of entertainment.

But it did help to get the other one out of my head. Shudder.

The 'spring and I watched The Grudge last night.

OH. MY. GOD.

We both slept with lights on.

I'm not a big fan of recent scary movies, mostly because they seem to be more "let's see how much fake blood we can use in this scene" than letting you use your imagination. Although there were some rather bloody scenes, there was a lot of "what was that" to let your imagination run wild. Which I think is much scarier that laying it all out there.

Well, at least for me.

And apparently for the 'spring, too. Not that I enjoy scaring my kid, but it's nice to see she hasn't been desensitized like so many other kids. So the "But, Mooooommm, the other kids can watch it" moments paid off.

"But what kind of power does your sexuality bring you, if everyone at the table can see your crotch when you sit down?"

I now have the interest of my local school district. They're jumping like spit on a griddle.

Got my copy of the papers from my lawyer in the mail today.

Seems they got theirs, too.

Let the fun begin...

Ah, yes, the reliable fast food shuffle. We always check the bags before we leave the drive thru - can't tell you how many times the orders have been screwed up. And we don't even go that often. Really.

How hard is it to remember to put in the friggin piece the damn meal is built around?

Seen the Popeye's "Naked Chicken" commercials?

Shouldn't the guys actually be dressed? But with, you know..... no skin?

Searching for my spiritual path...

1. Neo-Pagan (100%)
2. New Age (91%)
3. Unitarian Universalism (83%)
4. Mahayana Buddhism (72%)
5. New Thought (67%)
6. Hinduism (66%)
7. Liberal Quakers (65%)
8. Theravada Buddhism (63%)
9. Jainism (53%)
10. Reform Judaism (53%)

Of course, now I forget where I took the damn test...

"Oddly, the woman who boasted her “non-negotiable” stance that moms forgo outside work is the same one who has forbidden her daughter to color her hair until the girl is paying her own way. This is a daughter who — if she accepts mom’s value set — could one day be a stay-at-home mom dependent on a man who’ll pay her bills. Will he also be in charge of her hair color then?"

You know, I never thought about it that way. But she's got a point. And a good one.

Well, I've done it. I've hired a lawyer, and I am sueing my school district. Someday soon I hope to be able to post about why I'm sueing the school district, but it's all still too raw.

Let's just say, next time they will think twice about jerking the single mom around because she can't possibly have enough money to do anything about it.

Heh.

At what age are women invisible?

Been reading a lot about parents who blog - there's an article in the NY Times about it. What it's all about, why they do it, what the kids will think of it when they're older.

I've noticed that most of the links they supplied are to parents who have kids that are still in the infant, toddler, elementary school age. Their antics are often fodder for humourous stories, sometimes for serious questions. And very entertaining reading. But they've overlooked something. Yes, those kids will grow up and read what you've written.

And they will someday be able to blog about you.

Lord, I hope my child is kind...

The worst part of working for a non-profit is the way people think they can control your time, that they have the right to impose on you because you are "paid" and they are not. That their volunteerism is so much more of a sacrifice than is the fact that you are paid far below what you are worth. That somehow, their contribution has so much more value that you should be grateful enough to do what they ask. What's up with that?

Well, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who forgets about the laundry...

Although I'm reeeaaallllyyy thankful that I don't have that much to do!!!

Laundry is not my favorite chore. I want my damn clothes to come out clean and pressed, ready to wear, the same size they were when I put them in there. Is that too much to ask? Seriously.

I like black. Can't there just be one color for black? Without some fancy special detergent? And what's the damn difference with "little ironing" if I still have to set up the damn ironing board and heat up the damn iron? Does it really make a difference? When does it cross the line into "a lot of" ironing? And when will someone make a decent friggin' iron that does cost as much as my whole wardrobe?

Household chores. The bane of my existence.

Well, the holidays are over. Back to the routine of dragging a semi-comatose kid out of bed...

Bit slippery on the way to work. And of course, there's the hot-shots with them big ol' plows on the front jes wantin' ya to git outta the way coz they's got some bucks to make fer they git to the taproom tonite. Um, excuse me? That dark patch up there. That's ice. It don't care that you got you a big ol' plow on the front. Spin you like a top anyway. So I'm taking my time to get to my destination, mkay? Because I allowed travel time for the weather conditions. And I don't feel like testing out my airbag, thankuverymuch.

I'd also like to get back home in one piece.

So git offa my ass!

Ah, the Fates are screwing with me again. A water pipe broke in this cold snap. but fortunately I was home when in happened, that short break between clients. I can't imagine what a nightmare I would have come home to if it had happened while I was gone. So thank you, Fates, for that at least. And it's a pipe that's in the garage, so I won't need it until the Spring thaw.

Now I just have to figure out who, how, and what I need to do to fix the damn thing. Home maintenance is not my forte, and brings with it one of the few times I wish there was a man around the house not of the feline kind.

Gave an advance on allowance to buy some presents for me, grandparents, teachers and friends with a "stern admonishment" to budget it and get me a decent present. So what does she do? Out of $50.00, she spends about $32.00 on herself.

Where did I go wrong?

Oh please. Why would they put the damn thing in the middle of his back? Wouldn't the waist hide it better. Cripes.

Besides, you'd undoubtedly keep hearing him go "What? Is this thing on?"