I am very much awake. After sleeping about three hours total from Tuesday through Thursday, and then sleeping 21 hours from Thursday night until Friday night. I need to get this sleep thing back to something resembling normal. Today, I'm going to try making sure to be outside a lot during the day (maybe I'll walk over to Whole Foods or something), then turning off all the lights in my apartment except maybe a small reading light after dinner, and leaving my blinds open so the sun will wake me up in the morning.

I discovered a new sort of rudeness today. People never stop surprising me. A guest asked for a refund on some tickets and when I went to straighten one out I realized it was crumpley because it had gum stuck in it.

In Kitty news we are going to the shelter on Wednesday. I have a carrier, a litter box, liners, litter, a scoop, a door mat for the litter box, a scratchy-box, kitty crack pad (which I think I will wait to introduce since the scratchy-box has catnip too and I don't want to OD the kitty on her first day). In honor of pet dental health month I've got a kitty toothbrush and toothpaste. (Doggie Pua got her own toothpaste today and seemed to really enjoy her first ten seconds of brushing.) I've got a bouncey mouse on a cord and some Pounce treats.

I'm waiting on food and a collar until we decide on a cat.

What am I forgetting? I am open to any and all suggestions. I have lived with cats before but a cat has never been my sole responsibility.

Would it be a good idea to bring a towel with Pua's scent on it to the shelter for the kitty to get a pre-introduction? I plan to keep the cat in my room with the door closed for at least 24 hours after she gets home.

Also Pua has a doggie door but I'd prefer an inside cat. If anyone could think of a way to let Pua keep going in and out but keep the cat in that doesn't involve a shock collar on the cat I would love to hear it.

Heh. Good luck, Hil! I was just thinking something the same about my own wakefulness, except there's no daylight here. And it's not quite so late.

I want to move to Portland. They have a vegan minimall. A vegan grocery store, vegan bakery, vegan clothing store, and tattoo parlor that only uses vegan vegetable-based inks, all in one strip mall.

(Yes, this is a dumb reason to want to move somewhere. But I'm sick of recipes that require me to go to a zillion different stores. Though I've gotten pretty good at remembering that the good brand of margarine is at Trader Joe's, the egg replacer for baking is at Safeway, and silken tofu is at the little convenience store in the basement of one of the dorms. (Took me forever to find that silken tofu.) I don't use the egg replacer too often -- soy milk + apple cider vinegar is usually tastier and cheaper -- but there are some recipes that require it. Soy milk + apple cider vinegar leads to light and fluffy baked goods, which is great for cupcakes, but not so great for things like cinnamon rolls that are supposed to be denser.)

I can think of a lot of reasons to move to Portland

Portland is a pretty freakin' awesome place. No biotech jobs there, though. For me, not for you. I have no idea of the math jobs there.

Or you could just move to Columbia Heights! Not near the Trader Joe's, but near Sticky Fingers!

Or you could just move to Columbia Heights! Not near the Trader Joe's, but near Sticky Fingers!

True, but pretty horribly placed for getting to Foggy Bottom without a car every day. Also, fairly certain my mother would freak. Also also, giant rats.

As for math jobs in Portland, there's Portland State and University of Portland. Also Concordia, but they're a Christian school that I think might require a statement of faith from employees. (I'm not positive about that, but a lot of the smaller Christian colleges do.)

Oh, details details. (Can I say how glad I am that Seattle does not have mutant giant rats everywhere? If they are here, they hide themselves satisfactorally). There'll be a Target there soon!

OK, yeah. No easy way to GW. But those "cowvine" bars, with oatmeal and faux "creme" (does "real" "creme" have any real cream in it anyway? Probably not) are sooo good.

does "real" "creme" have any real cream in it anyway? Probably not

Until about 15 or so years ago, the "creme" in Oreos was lard mixed with sugar. The "creme" in Twinkies still is. (It wasn't, for a year or two, and then they switched back. I'm still annoyed at myself for not trying one during the year or so that they were vegetarian.)

I am extremely phobic of rats. To the point that I had a panic attack and hyperventilated during the scene in Interview With The Vampire when Tom Cruise takes a bit out of one. (There are a few Buffy scenes that I still haven't watched with my eyes open. And one Angel scene that left me shivering for a good half hour.) I cannot live in places with giant rats.