Go you, Kathy, with the productivity!

I have a 10 am hair appointment (the down side of the new short cut is how raggedy it looks after 5 weeks, argh), and I'm cleaning the house today--it's my first weekend home in about a month. God, my house is filthy.

In other news, it's totally fire weather here: hot, clear, and really really windy. The wind woke me this morning when it gusted so hard it blew open my front door with a crash--the door was closed but not bolted. And then it did it again about an hour ago, and now I have a hole in the plaster where the doorknob hit the wall. Joy.

Hey, the sun came out here. I should feel more guilty about my MI-5 plans but uh no. . . I don't.

I have to have my apartment immaculate before next Saturday, which is when Mom's coming out for the week. She has completely cleaned/rearranged my kitchen after finding it a bit dirty before, so I'm not giving her the opportunity this time (although she did do a really good job...). This weekend is going through all the closets and organizing them and dusting/vacumning the bedroom. Each night this week will be another room getting cleaned, so by the time Friday night rolls around, all I'll have to do is go to the grocery store and then wash the dishes and clean the bathroom one last time. It's not in bad shape now (I did a good cleaning last weekend for Dad's visit on Sunday), but this week's cleaning will involve dusting the baseboards and moving all the books off the shelves to dust them as well.

I'm having Trader Joe's potstickers for lunch. They stuck a little over much, but are still good!

Rentometer. Find out if you're paying too much in rent.

Huh. It says my rent is average for this area, but I think the housing projects must be throwing off the curve -- I've never seen another apartment in this neighborhood listed for as low as we're paying now.

I wish I had some Trader Joe's potstickers. Alas, I have no food in the house at all, so I'm having crackers for lunch. Maybe I should get dressed and go shopping.

I should feel more guilty about my MI-5 plans

Sunshine schmunshine. Our team of sometime intrepid spies is way worth it.

I'm up, but not at 'em yet. (I used to think that phrase was "Up and Adam" when I was a kid. Seemed vaguely biblical to me, but I couldn't figure out what the point was, really.)

Huh. The rentometer is interesting. Says that it "indicates that my rental unit should be in top condition and have more amenities than the average rental unit in your area. If it does not, then your rent may be way too high." I don't pay any utilities, so I'm gonna say it has more amenities that the average unit. And actually, if we took that out (and consider the rent of the unit below me, which does not include utilities), it would be average. So, yay. Or something.

Good luck, Sue!

Mmm, good afternoon. I went and paid my tab at Sin-e, because I accidentally left it and my card there when we left last night. Oh, drunk-vision. And on my way out I discovered a super fancy street fair right outside my building! I didn't know, as they'd been very quiet. Loads of nice stuff, and I picked up the most gorgeous blue brocade bag that will be hanging on my arm at the Zero 7 concert I'm going to tonight. I feel, well, if not cute, then well-accessorized.

Good thing I'm taping our intrepid band of spies: I took the "rest" part of R.I.C.E. too seriously and fell asleep in the middle of the last episode. (I woke up when the assassin killed the prince in an MI-5 safehouse!)

I know I missed something important.

Looks like our rent is smack dab in the middle. We're $47 less than the median, so yay. Plus, this place was literally just completely renovated, so I think we're making out even better.

YAY Sue! Good luck!