So, this isn't "A Better Week".

My grandmother passed away yesterday (Monday). She was 90 years old, and suffered quite a lot in the past year (and especially in the past three months), so her death was a release, for her, from pain.

In Hebrew there's an expression, roughly translated to "in good old age", and my grandmother lived to see her family blossom, grandchildren and even a couple of great-grandchildren. For a person to pass away at this stage of life (and this age) it's pretty much 'the way of the world'. However, just as another thing which is 'the way of the world', the birth of a new baby, is always a joyous occasion to the people around it, a passing away of a loved one is always difficult for the people around them.

If you want to send good vibes, as is your lovely Buffista way, please direct them towards my parents, who have had an extremely difficult month, and are still facing some difficult times: my mom just finished sitting 'shiva' (Jewish mourning) for her brother on Sunday, and my father started sitting 'shiva' on Monday for his mother. And it's Passover in just over two weeks, which is one of the most taxing Jewish holiday, requiring a lot of preparations. Also my cousin, whose FiL passed away yesterday as well (I can't believe this, it probably reads like something written by a bad script-writer who has no idea what to do with his characters, so he's just killing them off). His mom (my mom's sister) just finished her 'shiva', and his wife started to sit 'shiva' yesterday.

I will be all sorts of shades of dark this week (things are still pretty much up in the air, nobody knows yet who will be where when), but just in order to make it possible for me to post something nice for a change, I'll just add that, since I don't know whether I'll be here on Thursday, April 3d, and according to the Buffista Calendar it's Tom Scola's birthday, I would like to send him early wishes already.

Hi Buffistas!! Wanna stay healthy? Curious about cancer? Aching to crawl through a 40ft replica of a colon? I thought so!!! Check out the Colossal Colon Tour, coming to a city near you. You can find out more info about the Tour and its mission here

I volunteered at the Colossal Colon (aka CoCo) when she(?) was in Chapel Hill. It was fun, and educational, and like I said -- you get to crawl through a Colon. Without the messy stuff that is usually in one.

So, check your insides out! t /fake promo enthusiasm

Seriously, this is worthwhile and might save your life. Because I care.

eta THIS IS NOT AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE.

I just got the offer for my new-old job, with the salary I asked for. I start Wednesday.

Somervillistas! INSENT. Any help would be EXTREMELY appreciated.

Minor job-ma appreciated.

The theatre I work with had two slots open for costume designers, and I have enquired about filling one of them with me. It is sort of a long shot as my portfolio sucks and it seems really important for this theatre to have their designers come from out of the area.

But it would save them some money in hotel and rental car fees, so a possibility...

I'll be dark until Tuesday, most likely, at a bat mitzvah in Florida. The bat mitzvah girl's older sister has promised to take me out clubbing, which should be exciting. Wish me boys!

Now that we're back, let me re-inaugurate "Beep Me" with a bit of good news.

The offer I made on the Cutest House in the World was accepted!!!!

If all goes well, I will be moving in late June/early July.

That said, there is a lot that can go wrong between now and then, so continued housema would be appreciated, especially as I try to coordinate the inspection and so on.

I'll be dark this weekend, as I'll be in NYC for nephew's birthday party. (among other things)

I will be at least mostly dark this weekend. The NC Division fencing championships are this weekend, and I have a team competition on Saturday and an individual one on Sunday. I'd be happy, if more than a little lucky, to finish right in the middle of the pack.

I'll be around for the rest of the workday, and I'll happily soak up any nerve-calming and equipment-functioning vibes that happen to be lying around.