It's 22F here. And I can't stop sneezing and blowing my nose. Going out to do laundry is looking unlikely.

Oooh, laundry. Thank god I only have to haul it down to the cellar.

Katie, your name came up favorably last night at vwbug's. We all hope you're settling in and that you have your furniture by now!

It's 27F here. We're supposed to get 2-4" of snow today. Maybe that'll help the Bears today. (I'm otherwise convinced that the Saints will beat the Bears today.)

It's a balmy 27 in Chicago.

Katie, your name came up favorably last night at vwbug's. We all hope you're settling in and that you have your furniture by now!

Aw, thanks! I hope to get the chance to come up and hang out with you guys soon.

All furniture is here as of Friday, other than the couch that I, you know, don't own and have to go buy. Today I'm going to get a washer and dryer, after having spent a couple of days coming to terms with the fact that I am buying the extremely low-end versions thereof. And then, more boxes! God, the excitement.

FWIW, after some research, I went to Yale Electric & Appliance for my stove, and had a really excellent experience with them -- treated like a prize customer even though I wasn't shopping for the high end stuff. Also, they hauled away the old stove when they delivered the new. It's up in Dorchester, just off 93, and worth the trip even from where you are.

I'm constantly amazed that I can watch some things on television that become just too powerful and difficult when put on stage. I wonder why that is.

I think it's because me-and-the-tv are a private, closed system, and I can let myself sink into the story more. I'm not being observed in my reaction.

Theatre is a public, shared experience, and one never quite lets go of present reality enough to not be aware of other audience members and their reactions.

That's my theory, anyway.

Question: Is it bad to block access to electrical outlets?

Where I want to move my desk and filing cabinet will completely block the electrical outlet; I won't be able to get to it without moving extremely heavy furniture. I'm plugging in surge protectors so I can still use the outlets. I'm hoping that's safe enough, but this is an old building and I think the electrical system wasn't built to carry the number of appliances I have. I try not to overload any outlet, but I worry about not being able to get to the outlet itself. Anyone know if this is okay or not?

Have you started your new job, Katie? How's everything else? Exciting!

I don't see a problem with the outlets. A pain in the ass if you do need to get to it, but I can't think that would come up much.