I'm making hot cocoa in my butter warmer on top of a tea light. I feel like a genius. Of course, it isn't cocoa yet, but conceptually I'm very pleased.

Eta: now it's cocoa. And, lo, it is good.

Ah, Grace. Little kids confuse me. They'll just say something and it's not true, but they're not meaning to LIE, they're just...saying not-true stuff. It's fascinating. What's going on in their little developing minds? What was she thinking when she said she cheated, when she didn't?

Woo, yard sale day!

Yes, woohoo! Also Honkfest, Arts at the Armory (where a friend is bellydancing) and for me, seeing Gravity with friends. The day is just packed....

Marathon day! Gonna finish my sandwich and wander down. Y'all, I have a tambourine!!!

I'm in Phoenix waiting to board my flight to Chicago. As soon as I get home, I need to run out and pick up my CSA. And then unpack and run some errands. And probably work on my Yuletide sign up. Sunday morning I'm going to Othello. Somewhere in there I'm going to crash super hard.

msbelle, I'm sorry Mac is being such a pill. Poor kid: I do wonder what's going on in his head.

shrift, travel safe! The weather in Chicago is warmer than the Bay Area right now, oddly enough.

I got home from my vacation last night, and this morning discovered that I had only gained a pound, despite getting very little exercise (other than walking) and eating tons of enormous meals in restaurants (my brother & SIL do not eat at home, basically). That was good, and totally worth it for the beer-battered cheese curds alone.

Also, I got a lead on a job which might be really interesting: doing environmental work in-house for a big solar company. Sounds cool, less stressful than consulting, and less ridiculous than federal work.

Today I have a crazy long to-do list, including watching the Red Sox game with my dad. I really thought that unemployment was supposed to involve lying around watching tv and eating bonbons, but that's really not happening. Sort of frustrating.

I asked the Magic 8-Ball if I would get a lot accomplished this weekend, and he said, Very Doubtful. Hmpf. Mr. 8-Ball knows me a little too well.

I was happy to find out today that I've lost 2 pounds since going off the low-carb diet. (Well, actually I've lost 8 lbs. in the past three weeks, after regaining 6 thanks to that ginormous meal at Commander's Palace and adjusting to a wider range of food over the next week.) So, 33 down from my blubbery post-holidays high, and it looks like walking 2 miles every morning + eating lots of fruit is working well.

Also good this morning, my parents' neighbors told Mom we could have any figs we wanted from the tree in their front yard. I picked a double handful of beautiful just-ripe figs (brown turkey variety, I think) and will have them as dessert with lunch. And I'm planning to go see Reefer Madness tonight at the Circuit Playhouse in Memphis, which should be lots of fun.

I went by Jesse's yardsale and got a bunch of useful gadgets. It seemed to be going well, they were selling steadily while I was there, some of the furniture was already gone!