OMGOMGOMG, I was just cleaning my office, and there's been a funky smell in there for a while. I looked to see if one of the cats had Done Something, but I could find no trace.

So there's some pens under this little low table where the printer is, and I reach under there to grab them and what I think is a tuft of cat fur...and I am holding A DEAD DECOMPOSING MAGGOTY MOUSE! In my bare hand.

I drop it immediately and flail for a bit -- a newly dead mouse, I have no problems with, pick it up in a napkin and toss it -- but THIS MOUSE WAS BODY FARM MATERIAL.

I picked it up in a paper towel, tossed it in the trash outside, and then decontaminated my hands with the hottest water I could stand and multiple soapings.

I am having a soothing tea and a break now. I'm proud of my upstairs cat, though; she must have killed it, and it crawled into some hidden place to die. Good kitty, but next time, leave the corpse somewhere I can see it.

shift, now I have the full body shivers and feel like I need to decontaminate myself.

That's unpredictably handy, tommy.

I'm proud of my upstairs cat, though

You've got to get her to finish the job on the spot. Suppose the mouse had made it back home and got the healer mouse to patch him back up.

Oh! I went to the police station to report the plates stolen, and the cop who took the report told me he was mandated to tell me to go straight to the DMV, but on the other hand here's the phone number and maybe I could make an a appointment...

August 15th. So my backup plan was to go first thing today (I couldn't have gone straight in because I had a phone appointment with a recruiter in an hour), but I just couldn't get it together. Tomorrow no, because interviews (thanks for the vibes), but maybe Friday morning?

Right now I'm going to finally ablute and then go on my Gustave Dore search.

I will give Gimlet a stern talking to, ita.

Yeah, Suzi, I still feel gross. And I still have to go back into the Office of Doom and finish cleaning. Logic tells me 2 gross mouse corpses cannot strike in one day, but my gut is telling me "HAZ-MAT suits are very in this summer."

Much ~ma to your whole family, tommyrot. Wishing for the best possible outcome for your father. Is he on a vent or just the O2 in the nose tube? If it's the first, the second might be an acceptable compromise for his comfort.

I think dress #3 is also interview-appropriate, but agree that #2 looks the most SRS BSNS.

I'm with Jesse. Good luck on the interview!

And in the last of my random segues, yicks, Strix!

I have lost all will to be productive or useful. That won't be a problem, right?

Strix, eeewwwwwwwww. Tell kitty to finish the job on the spot!

I just ate a whole quarter of a watermelon and now I'm sleepy and useless.

Tommy, much recovery~ma to your father.

ita, I like dress 2 the best, for interviews.

Yay, Gimlet! You just have to work on closing.

New boss had his first day today. We did some walk-arounds and had good conversations and that gave me a really good feeling about how he'll handle issues going forward, which is: sensible and cautious and taking into all pre-existing perspectives while adding new insight. No ego or "I already have a great project in mind that adds more work without addressing established needs". Just getting a vibe for the place and already being helpful in areas that we need help. Crazy. Was great with our special needs volunteer group, and despite several almost-pratfalls that had me worried about him physically, buckled down and helped me mulch and had no complaint about shouldering the responsibility of cleaning up the garbage area.

He did intimidate me with his enormous collection of books that he'd brought (about 15 liquor boxes worth) and asking me if I was familiar with any of them. I knew one. It felt like a test.

But, at least he's enthusiastic, and had no problem in admitting when he didn't know something, which made me feel comfortable admitting when I didn't know something, instead of it being a pissing contest of faking how perfect we were in our hort knowledge.

Very laid back and easy-going.

He just needs to stop tripping on shit.

Timelies all!

In one week we are heading to London for Worldcon and sight-seeing.(And then to Dublin for more sight-seeing) Whee!

Good news, Juliebird!!