Afternoon, all. Cold here too. I'm making homemade chicken soup - smells iniony but good.

So, let me ask: I REALLY don't want to leave the house anymore today. Got my period, have cramps, it's FUCKING cold, and....I've been out a lot lately.

But I'm supposed to maybe see the boy tonight.

Do y'all think it's too early for an "in" date? Like, come over, have some soup or something, bring a DVD, and I'll maybe make popcorn? I mean, is it too soon for such a thing?

This is why I hate dating. What are the fucking rules? Or standards, or list of faux pas, or SOMETHING!

Erin, I only think it's too soon if you think it's too soon. If you're comfortable having him laying about your apartment, then I say go for it.

I agree with ChiKat.

Also, I found my walking foot! I know...you didn't know it was missing, and what the hell is a walking foot anyway? But, I'm thrilled that I found it.

Oh, I'm comfortable. We, er, passed a threshhold on Friday night. I just don't want him to think "moving into gf/bf" mode.

Cause I'm NOT. I just don't wanna go out. But I wouldn't mind spending the evening with him.

I think if you just tell him straight up what's going on, you should be fine.

Walking foot=sewing machine part. I didn't know your's was missing, tho!

Erin, yeah, just tell him straight up. Also, it won't seem girlfriendy as long as you don't pop in a romantic movie or cook anything more complex than popcorn for him.

Thanks for the explain on that "walking foot" thing, ChiKat... I was getting concerned about vw's detachable parts.

I'm in the mood for weird news, so I've gone to newsoftheweird.com and found some nuggets:

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist, quoting a spokesman for the telecommunications company Lucent in January, reported that "nearly a million people" in the United States still lease their house phones for around $60 a year (about 20 years after they were no longer required to), rather than buy them for as little as $20 each. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1-28-06]

In Jackson, Mo., in December, Jacob Vandeven, 27, was caught by his judge at lunch, having a drink, one hour after the judge had convicted Vandeven of DUI and sentenced him to alcohol rehab with a do-not-drink order.

My grandmother still leased her phone from the phone company until she died a few years ago. When my father cancelled the lease, we had to give the phone back to the phone company. I was disappointed, since it was a really neat-looking old-fashioned phone, and what was the phone company going to do with a 40-year-old phone anyway?

My mother was told in the 1960's they they had to buy the phone, they paid for it at the local office, and when the new changes came along, the phone company wanted to charge them a lease fee sudenly, so mom gave them the phone and bought a newer one.

We figure the local phone company branch didn't want to bother with adding the rental to each month's bill or flat out lied back in the 60's, or thought they had a better plan than Ma Bell.

I am trying *so hard* to convince myself to do something, like my dishes or my homework or to just put gel in my hair. Boy, is nothing compelling. Except sitting here and refreshing b.org and my friendslist, over and over...