Ugh, that's an etiquette problem that I wouldn't be sure how to handle.

I'm awake more or less, since I seem to be on the You'll Be Awake Anyway diet right now. Long, long day ahead....

dcp, while I'm sorry you had mechanical difficulties (way upthread), I'm really impressed by your ability to suss them out and (temporarily though it was) fix them. Wow.

I'm thinking I should send him a thank-you email, yeah?

I might. But yeah, this is something of an etiquette challenge. It could be he was feeling guilty and gave he good feedback to assuge some of that. In which case, he's already gotten what he came for.

Thanks. Now that it has all turned out (fairly) well, I'm finding it funnier and funnier. I took the car in to the mechanic early this morning. Finding a replacement part could be the trickiest part of the whole event, and I'm leaving that to the professionals. I'm just hoping the local (60 miles away) Saturn dealer can supply the part overnight and get me up and driving by tomorrow afternoon--and that it doesn't cost much. Otherwise I'll be down to scrounging in the junkyards or, worst case, having a new rod-end custom machined.

Lesson learned: add zip-ties, duct tape, baling wire, and possibly chewing gum to the emergency kit in the trunk.

I just got reminded that it's a friend's birthday party tomorrow. The theme is 30's gangsters. I have little money and no fancy clothes. Suggestions, anyone?

Men's clothing will be easier to improvise, so I'd recommend cross-dressing. If you can borrow a pinstripe suit that would be ideal, but any kind of suit will do. The important thing is a hat -- a fedora or a pageboy. If you can't borrow one, hit a thrift store. A colorful tie is also good, and cheap cigar makes a good prop.

The nice thing is that if everything's ill-fitting and worn, that's okay because, hey, there's a Depression going on.

Maybe bring a violin case?

she replied saying she had already gotten good feedback from my old boss

Yikes! How'd she get that? Did she just get in touch with him based on your resume?

7AM meeting was a no go, because I got stuck in traffic minutes from my house for an hour. Way to go to feel doltish, calling in from the road repeatedly. Luckily they weren't able to get in touch with a couple other parties, so moving it isn't all my fault. Just mostly.

I'm not sure how alert I'd have been, since I spent too much of the night curled up awake with stomach pain.

Week's starting off with a bang.

At least there are chocolate cupcakes this time round.

SciFi.com's news thingie mentions Allyson:

Lost Fans Party For Charity

Fans of ABC's hit series Lost raised about $5,000 for charity at "Destination: L.A. 2," the second annual fan party, at Solar Studios in Glendale, Calif. The money, from a silent auction of autographed memorabilia and other show-related items, went to the Children's Defense Fund, an organization favored by Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams, which works toward reducing the numbers of neglected, sick, uneducated and poor children in the United States.

About 130 fans—many denizens of the fan-run Fuselage message board—came to California from as far aways as Ireland and Wales, as well as Dallas and Philadelphia, for the party, which was put on by E.M.A. (One of E.M.A.'s principals, Allyson J. Beatrice, is the author of the upcoming Source Books title Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby?, a collection of essays about fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.)

The fans were joined by Lost cast members Daniel Roebuck (Leslie Arzt) and William Mapother (Ethan); producers Carlton Cuse, Bryan Burk and Adam Horowitz; writer Christina M. Kim; and other staff members. Series co-creators Damon Lindelof and Abrams sent greetings by text message.

I am annoyed. This is a PSA.

I hate it when people come to me with incomplete information and then expect me to have a response of some kind. I'm not a dba, I have no freaking clue what you are talking about.

sara, you are talking in initials.

PSA= Public Service Announcement

dba= it really doesn't matter, it suffices that I am not one