Thanks Nora (and Nilly). Apart from the whole no idea how I am going to get everything I need to done in time thing, I'm excited.

Lee, I love the way your post combines with your tagline:

It’s the perfect time of day to throw all your cares away

Good news: I'm taking Friday off of work.

Bad news: It's to take my car into the shop, which is going to be damn expensive, I'm thinking.

Bad outweighs the good. Blargh.

Your Friday looks like my Monday, Kathy. You could be getting used weekdays pawned off on you as fresh new Fridays. Is there some sort of board of inquiry for this?

Bad outweighs the good. Blargh.

That sucks, Kathy, and I have to agree. So I guess we should all wish you car-ma, right?

Minor annoyance in the new digs that leads to a hivemind question - the oven in my new place doesn't seem to work. I've tried every combination of the temperature and selection (preheat, heat, etc.). The temperature knob makes an audible click when turned, and a light blinks, but doesn't stay lit when I turn the category knob form off to preheat. The clean setting lights the clean button, but it doesn't seem to do anything (and would be useless for cooking even if it did). I even took off the knobs in case they were broken (one of the stove top ones, which all seem to work, doesn't work if its knob is on).

Is it possible there's just something not plugged in, or a loose connection that could easily be fixed? I have a toaster oven so this isn't an immediate need (I can do almost everything I'd use an oven for in that), but is definitely unacceptable long term, but I can see this taking a while to get taken care of even with the landlord just upstairs. If it can be fixed easily, I'd just as soon take care of it myself.

Gas or electric?

Somehow I doubt it's actually Koko with the nipple fetish.

Well, I do remember her trying to unbutton the shirts of (male) photographers and other visitors, presumably due to some curiousity about or fascination with human chests. But despite the obvious 800-pound gorilla joke, I don't think employees should feel pressured to expose themselves to her.

Electric stove, Frank? Not that I am coming up with a helpful hypothesis, I'm just trying to get a clear picture of the problem.

Bummer of a Friday, Kathy.

Ah, well--the joys of having a six-year-old car means that it starts to nickel-and-dime the wallet. It'll be nice having a quiet car (muffler is going) that doesn't bounce too much (shocks are shot) and has daytime running lamps that actually light up (the newest thing-gone-wrong; the indicator light was blinking furiously when I started the car up this morning, and the lights are definitely out).

Definitely sounds like work that's worth having done.