My parents just moved into a retirement community, so my siblings and I are going up to Clintonville this weekend to help them sort and dispose of things.

The place is called Angelus Retirement Community, so now I can tell people my parents are with Angelus now. Sadly, Angelus is about to change their name.

Someone translate I AM AWESOME GIVE ME MOAR MONEY into businessspeak please?

Can you include a picture of Business Cat?

Leather pants for all the retirees?

Leather pants for all the retirees?

Heh. I'll find out tomorrow.

I AM AWESOME GIVE ME MOAR MONEY

I consistently meet my goals and exceed expectations of my supervisors. My work has been complimented both on its thoroughness and its efficiency. I strive to work well with my team and foster a commitment to cooperation within our group and with other departments. My attendence is excellent and I have a good history with the company. After reviewing my evaluations over my tenure, I request an increase of compensation of XXX.

Dang, you're good.

In my experience, your body tries to acclimate you to sleeplessness in the third trimester by waking you up every two hours to pee and compressing your spine and internal organs to the point where no body pillow in the world can allow you to get comfortable.

Um. It's possible I didn't exactly enjoy pregnancy.

Ha. Yeah, I feel like I'm hitting the point where I really would like it to be over now, thanks. My legs have started swelling, I can never tell anymore if I'm hungry or not until I'm famished to the point of wanting to cry, and sweet jesus I'm so tired. (Listen, Sprog, I don't actually want you to come out yet -- you've got a few more weeks before you're done cooking. I'm just saying, I'm really looking forward to that day.)

In other school news, they are re-opening the old school that's just a few blocks from where we live. Next year it will house a 3-6 gifted school, and a K neighborhood school, but if they get 10 kids interested, they will do 1st grade too. So if I get Casper into gifted (which requires testing but I think she qualified with her scores in GA) and they add 1st grade, both kids could go to the school that's actually in our neighborhood. And given the boundary lines and the grassroots nature of the parent movement to open it, there's a good chance the culture will be much more our style than the current school (which is good, but not very hippie.)

That's great, flea! I know you've been fretting about the school options and that'd make a huge difference.

Have fun, Consuela!

I did Casual Carpool this morning driving back after dropping Emmett off. I have to say, I really like it. Its something that just evolved naturally without official sponsorship. It gets everybody into the city more cheaply and more quickly. It's easier on the environment and the transit system. And it's all civil and polite and everybody understands the rules.

For all the many things that are disheartening about humans, it's good to have a little grassroots institution which reinforces communal goals, is mutually beneficial and runs on civility.

I did Casual Carpool this morning driving back after dropping Emmett off. I have to say, I really like it. Its something that just evolved naturally without official sponsorship. It gets everybody into the city more cheaply and more quickly. It's easier on the environment and the transit system. And it's all civil and polite and everybody understands the rules.

Is that like slugging in DC/NOVA?

ETA: [link]

Is that like slugging in DC/NOVA?

Yup.

Folks line up at the North Berkeley BART station, and the cars cruise up in line (like a taxi que).

I take on two riders. They say, "Good morning" and get in.

I head to the freeway, and once there I can take the carpool lane (since we have three passengers). That means I skip past all the backed up traffic and the slowdown in front of the toll booths.

It used to be free to go through carpool, but now my electronic reader is charged $2.50 instead of $6 to go into the City. Sometimes the riders will pitch in a dollar. Sometimes not. I don't ask but am happy to receive.

I drive downtown and drop them off. Since I'm headed out to the avenues, I usually let them know I'm crossing Market street and heading up Pine, so they have an option of getting off just below Market or a couple blocks above it depending on where their office is. (Both my riders this morning wanted off above Market.)

They say "Thank you," when they exit and the whole thing took half an hour (instead of 45 mins to an hour), and cost them either nothing or a dollar. My cost is reduced from $6 to $2.50 and I'm back in the city much more quickly.