I've been lusting after a pair of Crocs, but was dubious without trying them on. Maybe I'll go ahead and order a pair now, based on lori's rec.

Raquel, get them. They are super squishy-comfortable, the lightest weight shoe and mostly water proof (or when they get wet they redry so quickly).

I bought a pair and Lori rolled her eyes and made fun of me becuase they were so PINK! and SHINY! and FUNNY! Then she tried them on and bought a pair too and now loves hers and wears them with great frerquency.

Today looks like a shiny and hot day (sunny and 101 according to predictions). sigh.

Is this a combined heat/electricity figure, Nutty?

Yeah. But I have a reasonable handle on what it costs to light an apartment, and this place does have gas heat. The heating costs are totally boggling. Who would live there? (Actually the real question is, who would pay that rent -- the high end of average -- knowing the massive added expense that is coming every winter? Clearly, only people who are happy with 50d rooms in January.)

I have it pretty nice, right now. Although I don't control my heat -- the thermostat is in the 1st floor apartment -- I don't pay for a cent of it.

Topic!Cindy – Today is the 6th birthday of Narrator!Niece a/k/a Princess of the Pink. I visited her yesterday to deliver her tribute gifts. The princess was pleased. She got a CareBear and announced “I collect these!” (she has 3). She also got a t-shirt and gift certificate from Limited Too, and proclaimed “I love that store!” (she’s been there once, for Older!Sister). Still, it was nice to see her excited.

By the way, it was my first trip into Limited Too. That’s a lot of pink there.

People will smile at you on the street, which tends to unnerve newcomers.

Heh. This reminds me of my freshman year in college, a friend of mine from high school who had gone to UVA came home for fall break HATING it. Why? Everyone wanted to smile and say hi to her on the street!! She did get used to it, and ended up liking it a lot.

I spent a couple of months working in Atlanta on a detail some years back -- winter of -- 1992 maybe? Not quite the same as living there, but I remember it fondly.

Atlanta itself is cosmopolitan enough that being a Yankee is more a curiosity than a point of contention (though I won't promise that'll hold true outside the city).

That's about all I remember.

I was gonna say, I think my combined electric and gas bills per month for my house are about $160/month in the dead of winter.

Metro Atlanta won't even notice you're a Yankee, Eddie. Rural Georgia might be another question. We have what is called the "two Georgias:" Atlanta and everywhere else.

Topic!Cindy – Today is the 6th birthday of Narrator!Niece a/k/a Princess of the Pink. I visited her yesterday to deliver her tribute gifts. The princess was pleased. She got a CareBear and announced “I collect these!” (she has 3). She also got a t-shirt and gift certificate from Limited Too, and proclaimed “I love that store!” (she’s been there once, for Older!Sister). Still, it was nice to see her excited.

By the way, it was my first trip into Limited Too. That’s a lot of pink there.

Oh, happy birthday to her! These little ones are getting old too fast, and each year, they're closer to world domination.

Clearly, you are a superior auntie, by the way. Good choices. I'm not even going to tell Julia about them. Lately, I've been being badgered into taking her to Build-A-Bear.

a friend of mine from high school who had gone to UVA came home for fall break HATING it. Why? Everyone wanted to smile and say hi to her on the street!!

Ha! The nice, be-suited Mormon missionaries come down my street every night when I'm coming up it, and say hi to everyone along the way. I don't think they're really helping their cause doing that, because I certainly don't say hi back to strangers.

Zap2it has an article about Bradley Cooper's new show. They spell NB's first name "Nicolas" -- I didn't know that he didn't use an "h" in there.

It amuses me that NB's character is named "Seth".