The company that manages my buildings has a regrettable tendancy to tuck a note under the door to the effect of "clear out half your apartment - the painters are arriving at 8:00am tomorrow". I began denying them access for that kind of thing ... starting with when they wanted to paint the radiators in January. morons

Mine gave us a week's notice about today's HVAC inspection/filter changeout. When the guy came over to fix my unit on Monday, I had to leave for work and warned him to make sure the cat didn't get out when he left. He told me that was something they all had to get used to--management didn't allow cats at all until Fall 2005, some months before I got there. They still don't allow dogs, although I swear I've heard some barking at times.

I know that Illinois requires 24-hour notice in a non-emergency situation before the landlord is allowed to enter a rented unit. I think most states have similar laws.

Either Arkansas doesn't or my super two apartments ago was breaking the law every time he let himself into my apartment after 30 seconds of knocking. (Was waked up twice that way and walked in on while showering twice.)

From my local listserv:

Celebrate Valentine's Day at the National Museum of Health and Medicine!

What: "Sex, Sin, and Science: A History of Syphilis in America"

Hee!

Shocking news: Brett Favre is retiring!

If there is a press conference, I hope no one comes.

Something is going down at work today - it's not hitting me directly, but it could be adjacent. I can't tell if it is just verbal lashings or if people are going to be shifting. AM trying to keep my head down and plow through work.

Shocking news: Brett Favre is retiring!

ARGH. He lost so much goodwill from me (and a lot of the Packer Nation) last year with the whole damn faux-retirement thing. I was hoping he'd at least have a good run with the Jets to redeem himself somewhat.

Good luck, msbelle.

I phoned my landlord and it is just a walk through because she took over from her dad and it hasn't been done in about 20 years.

I think I should have time to put some order in the place first. I also mentioned some issues that have been ongoing for ages that they might want to look into. It's an old building and as such, has many issues, most of which I don't bother complaining about.

I just got off the phone doing a podcast about my Tom Waits tour for a Canadian newspaper. The National Post - is that a big paper, or an advertising giveaway out of Saskatoon?

In other exciting news: Little League Draft Last Night!

There was last minute drama, and trafficking in human children.

I traded one kid whose father was in the room, for another kid whose mother was in the room.

"You can't just trade my son!"

"Actually, yes. Yes, I can."

But I like my team. I had to walk a tightrope with my measley picks, hampered by Emmett's requirements that (a) I draft one of his friends and (b) I not draft one highly placed player that he didn't like. Sheesh. I pissed off one other coach because my last minute trade meant he didn't get a player he was expecting to get.

But I like my team a lot. After two months of planning and researching the draft I Billy Beaned Bigtime.

The National Post - is that a big paper, or an advertising giveaway out of Saskatoon?

No, it's a big paper. Not as big as it wants to be, but what paper is? ETA: It's owned by a big media chain.