This is fun. I'm at the library, studying for an exam, with a view overlooking a pond. Aside from the usual suspects (moorhens and ducks, including a swapping, swapping mallard), we've had a sacred ibis and a pair of little corellas (the most populous parrot in my neighbourhood). And now a little pied cormorant has turned up! My library's turned into shag central.

Edit: the cormorant's right outside my window now! This is a fun study session.

There's also a small songbird, can't see it well enough to identify it, that seems to be snatching insects from the water's surface. The maneouvre seems to involve hitting the water and near-stalling. It's not waterproof, this is an interesting strategy.

Oh, she's brought friends. This is fun!

Aw, MM, so sweet!

We have a few friends over last night, played Balderdash and 1990's Trivial Pursuit, had some wine. It was nice. Then Dan and I played 'Die Zombie Motherfucker Die!" on Wii till three. (That's not the name of the game, I dunno what it is, but that's what the name SHOULD be.) I snorgled with him a while, but couldn't sleep, and went back and killed more zombies till 5:30 a.m., y'all!

Is it absurd that I am please that I score more kills and head shots than my geeky gamer fiance? Cause I am WAY more violent than he!

And I woke up to purple tulips, and orange triangular edged tulips! He was all "They look like FLAMES! I didn't know tulips came like that! I had to get them for you cause you like to set shit on fire!"

LOVE.

Aww, MM.

I had a fun day with my parents. Went out to breakfast at Bread and Brew, then to the American Indian museum, which had all the usual interesting exhibits as well as a special exhibit about chocolate. Then out to Rockville for lunch at Yuan Fu, which is a totally fabulous vegan Chinese restaurant. They've got a ton of dishes that I've never seen at any other Chinese restaurant, and they're all delicious.

Then we went to Pangea, the vegan store. This place is totally in the middle of nowhere. We were using the GPS to get there, and when the GPS said "Your destination is 500 feet ahead" or whatever, my dad looked around and said, "Huh?" because he couldn't figure out how anything he saw in the next block could be a store. I pointed out the right parking lot to him, and as we got out, he asked if this was where Woodward and Burnstein met with Deep Throat. I got all kinds of fun stuff there -- imitation Mallomar, a bunch of candy, and two different kinds of sprinkles that I can put on cookies or cupcakes or whatever, plus some of the magic Canadian brand of vegan cheese, and some of the not quite magic but still very good Scottish brand.

Then we came back to my apartment, and my dad and I played Rock Band while my mom cleaned the apartment. I didn't ask her to or anything, she just decided that it needed cleaning and that she should do it. It's still a mess, but slightly less of a mess, and I thanked her profusely. Also, my dad changed the light bulbs in my ceiling fixtures, so now I have light in more than half my apartment!

Then we went out for Indian food for dinner. Yum. So now I have a full tummy, a clean-ish apartment with light, a fridge full of leftovers, and a Tivo full of stuff to distract me from the rejection email sitting in my inbox, from a school that I really didn't expect to be rejected by this soon.

Valentine's Day Stinks, Or, He Sure Put More Effort into this than MM Did: [link]

I got all kinds of fun stuff there -- imitation Mallomar, a bunch of candy, and two different kinds of sprinkles that I can put on cookies or cupcakes or whatever, plus some of the magic Canadian brand of vegan cheese, and some of the not quite magic but still very good Scottish brand.

Those all sound fun. You'll have to tell us about the Mallomars.

Valentine's Day Stinks, Or, He Sure Put More Effort into this than MM Did: [link]

Awwwww! It's a half-mile valentine! You need SOMETHING dark to put on the snow. I wonder how he got it so symetrical?

Right across the street from my building, there's a pile of snow at least seven feet high, maybe eight. Every time I walk by it, I have to resist the urge to try to climb it. (Mostly what's stopping me is that there's bare pavement on both sides of it, which would probably really hurt if I slipped. If there was still snow on the ground next to it, I might give it a shot.)

Happy Valentine's Day people! [link]

GC, that is the best Valentine.

I have survived 3 hours in a crowded restaurant with my loud family. I feel no need to be social again anytime in the immediate future.

Call Vortex, Hil. She can be your spotter!