I think I just saw Colin on my teevee. It's very surreal.

Lifetime? Did he catch the bad guy?

I'm about to head toward bed, but before I go I have a mystery for the hivemind. Maybe someone will have a brilliant idea by the time I'm awake and online again:

Our microwave, which is far from old (I think we got it in 2002), just died. DH put in a bag of popcorn, punched in the appropriate programming, and hit start. At that point, it just died. It didn't come on, and the clock/cook time screen went dead. We've checked the outlet, and it's not the problem.

So. Fixable, or time to go to Target and hope there's a President's Day sale on microwaves?

Wow. It is pouring down rain. Luckily, LA loves me enough that it let up a bit so that I could walk to my apartment in only a light rain, instead of a remarkable downpour. So I got to continue to use my pretty pink umbrella, but I wasn't in immediate danger of just being washed away. On the other hand, the downpour made for sidewalk flooding that was a good five inches deep in places, with a strong current, and my feet (up to mid-shin) were totally icily frozen by the time I got to my apartment, and could change out of my socks, shoes, and pants. Exciting stuff. No, really.

It's raining here, too. By morning, it will be a frozen mix, just in time for me to hit the road. And then the forecast calls for rain all week, plus freezing rain and snow just in time for me to come back. So should be fun!

But we need the moisture, so I should stop bitching.

The sheer volume of rain really was impressive. My windshield wipers couldn't keep up, and Alibelle got to experience the interesting thing my car does when it hydroplanes.

Soooo much rain. But I don't think we need the moisture, do we? It's been raining like crazy for forever. However, I don't mind it. I just think the majority of it should limit itself to the hours between 12 am and 6 am, as it would be the most comfortable for me.

I'm looking at your cd, Lee. It's taunting me.

And now I think I'm going to go to sleep, since I'm suddenly very tired. Which is understandable, when you realize I've been awake a whole eleven hours.

I know, it's nuts. We've been getting rain for days. I don't know what to do with that. Surely there's some big barrel we can keep it in, for when we're all summer-droughty?

Yeah, I should sleep, too. Wonder if I will?

Oh! Last night I had this funny meta-dream. I dreamt that I was in a classroom, taking a class, and I thought to myself, "No wonder why I always dream I'm in class -- I always am in class." And then I woke up this morning and realized that, no, I am not ever in class, and I still need to wonder why I always dream I'm in class. I think my subconscious is trying to justify itself.

Maybe I'll go to sleep now and try to see if I can turn the lights on and off so I can lucid dream. Not that I ever could, but Chris in Northern Exposure did, so it must be possible.

That's funny, Liese. Your subconscious is all touchy about its artistic choices. And if you look at it from its own logic, it does make sense.

And I think there should be a big barrel. We can name it Bear.

Ooookay. And now I'm really going to sleep.

There was a nice documentary about emperor penguins, however, at Sundance this year. The males sit on the eggs all winter long in like 60 degrees below zero.

Go penguins, choose penguins. Or echidnas. Or possibly mole rats. Argentinian lake ducks are optional.

Edie McClurg was also the saccharine holier-than-thou neighbor lady in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. When the townspeople were burning Elvira at the stake, she said "we should do this more often" in a tone more appropriate to a PTA bake sale or picnic.