-t, it's funny. My dad always did the crosswords, and I just ignored it. And now? Suddenly, I'm bitten. As long as I have a cheat sheet. I'd totally toss them over once I'm stumped otherwise. Patience? Me?

Emily, I usually start obsessing 2 weeks before a trip. Not doing so is freaky. And I've got a shitload to do, both work and just stuff, before then.

Um, why am I still up? Oh yeah. Neighbor kid T's dad called to tell me his mother had written a book (which I should look up.) FREAKY. Now I need to move. ( I have a ridiculous aversion to ANYONE keeping tabs on me. That he knew I was home by my lights or presence on the balcony freaks me out. Which is silly. BUT STILL. Ahrg! AHHRG!!)

Allyson, google the local housing authority. Around here, when my friend's bathroom ceiling caved in, they had to have plumbers in within 24 hours. It did take a week to fix, but she at least had a semi-functional bathroom in between plumbers and drywallers and plasterers and...

Oh, Allyson, that's awful. Make him lower the rent.

Yeah, that sounds untenable. As well as wrong.

Brouhaha across the street, just as I was going to bed. Group #1 is accusing group #2 of having thrown bottles off the top of the roof at cars below. Someone in #1 (grown men) seems to have hit someone in group #2.

At this point, I'd nominally be on the side of #1, with a caveat for excessive use of force. But what really got my attention was all the shrieking about "Your kind! You're all the same!"

Apparently #2 are Muslim. And to their vocal insistence, citizens. The grown men in #1 think that 50,000 dead Muslims is a good start, and we should go for more.

The sort of thing that makes you wonder if you have any bottles of your own to throw.

But the cops are here and everything's very quiet now. I can't even work out who's in bigger trouble.

That sucks too, ita.

I keep thinking I am about to take a bath and go to bed, but that keeps not happening.

Skipping-sigh-and-poking-head to post that, according to the Buffista Calendar, today is Frankenbuddha's birthday. HAppy birthday, Frank! With lots of wishes for a great day and a wonderful year!

Also, IIRC, today is joe boucher and his DW's first anniversary, so lots of wishes are going their way, as well.

It is raining in my bathroom.

I'm so sorry Allyson. I agree that there should be something off your rent to compensate for getting a hotel room, whether or not you actually do. On the bright side, at least the water is raining in the bathroom. Inconvenient, but at least it's not raining all over your books or computer equipment. Still, if they can'f fix it before Wednesday, you should get money.

That really sucks, Allyson. And yeah, waiting for a plumber until Wednesday seems like it ought to be illegal.

Week one of my summer job is over. I'm really enjoying it -- it's almost making me want to consider teaching as a regular career. Or possibly some kind of research in gifted education.

This is an interesting article (NYT, needs login) about shrinking social networks that takes the internet into consideration. Except they obviously don't know our special brand of internet closeness: [link]

Hippo Birdies, Frank, wherever you are!

I didn't plan on going shoe shopping last night, but a Famous Footwear store leaped on me as I was accidentally walking along. I escaped with my life and a pair each of Keds and Aerosoles.