Well, I'm off on this trip through southern Africa tomorrow, and two days after I get back from that, I'm doing the Garden Route tour with my parents (southern coast of South Africa), and soon after that I leave for India. So I'll be around even less often than I have been this semester. I've put up an itinerary on my website, if you're curious about where I'll be traveling next, and I may get to update my livejournal once or twice during this time. I wish you all Happy Winter Holidays, except the Aussies, to whom I wish Happy Summer Holidays, and a premature Happy Australia Day, by which time I will be in Perth (yay!). I'll miss you!

Chicago folk:

I'm thinking of driving up to Mitsuwa (the Japanese mall) in Arlington Heights tomorrow. Anyone want to join me for shopping and/or lunch? Profile addy good.

Edit - contact info added to profile. I expect to be there from about 1:30 on.

Please send patented Buffista vibes to my great-aunt and great-uncle. He had a stroke and we are all hoping for the best possible outcome, whatever it is.

I'll be going dark for a little bit - the new job starts tomorrow, and it make take me a few days to ramp up.

Dark till Sunday--cavorting with my DH at the beach and watching the meteor showers tomorrow night. Mutter a VCR prayer for me on Tuesday and Friday nights. I'll miss the watch and post, and the dissection post-watch.

I'll try to check email daily if anybody needs to reach me.

JZ and I are safely back from L.A. We're pooped, but had great fun seeing so many LAistas - most for the first time. Thanks for coming out to see us. Details to follow tomorrow.

My interview for French TV went well - though I got stuck talking about all the contemporary bubblegum and the business angles (my co-editor Kim got to talk about all the sixties bubblegum).

Yeah, so, after some massive indecision, I kicked myself in the eema. Reserved a hotel room and purchased plane tickets just today.

I'll be attending the Farscape convention in Burbank this weekend. I'll be there early Friday afternoon, but I have to fly out 8am Sunday morning to make it back to the midwest on time to crash and be at work on Monday morning.

If you're going and want to meet up with me, send me an e-mail and give you my cell #.

I will also be in Burbank this weekend. Tentative plan is for brunch on Sunday with Kat & Lori (sadly, after Shrift flies back home). I leave it up to them to coordinate if anyone else is coming. Drop me a note to my profile address to let me know the plans?

Oh, and I won't have a car, and of course I'll be mostly offline from Thursday noon until Monday.

Arrived at work this morning to find out that one of my co-workers passed away last night, completely unexpectedly. Bernie was part of the group I ate lunch with almost every single day since I started working here four years ago.

It's pretty grim around here today. Bernie worked here for nearly twenty years, and so it's hard to imagine the place without her. Our entire accounting department (where she worked) is a total wreck right now. So far I'm in the stunned/unbelieving phase. It probably won't really hit me until lunchtime or so.

My mom is having a biopsy done today. She's pretty freaked out, so if the Buffistas could send some vibes her way, I'd really appreciate it.