wheeeee!

[dragonlady7]

I am on the first of five consecutive days off from work, because I asked for Friday and Saturday and, after some wrangling, got them, but then was looking at the schedule for today and saw that there were at least two new girls who wanted five days and only had two this week, so to reduce stress in trying to get to tonight's dress rehearsal on time, I figured I'd just give today's shift to one of the new girls. Which, coincidentally, would make things easier on the regular bartender, whose vacation starts tomorrow and who I know would be looking to leave early tonight and whose desire to leave early would conflict with mine. I do not want to get into such ugliness with him: we work well together, we are friends, but we are both quite old hands at this bartending lark, and perhaps this isn't universally true but it is where we work: the environment, the situation hardens you quite a lot, and you must develop a rather thick skin about taking what's yours, and so on. And so when we have a conflict of interest, whether we like one another or not, self must come first, and it always makes me feel a little cold and unpleasant to think of it. But perhaps I should ruminate on how these last two years or so have changed me at some other time.
Anyhow, New Girl is also going on vacation tomorrow, but I can guess that her desire will be not to leave early, but to stay longer and get extra cash, because she's about to go to New York City for the first time in her life, and New York has a way of demanding extra cash of you. (She is very young, but I still think it reprehensible that she has never seen The City yet.) So I have avoided any unpleasantness tonight, and have also given my sore knees a bit of a break (they've been OK, by dint of constant dosages of ibuprofin and near-constant knee-brace-wearing [itchy bastards], but I think staying off my feet can't hurt), and have also ensured that I have time to do several projects today and still get to tonight's dress rehearsal practice on time.

Projects: I have done my taxes. It took me like five minutes. I then spent another hour checking and rechecking my work, incredulous that it'd actually been that easy. I've been worrying about this and avoiding it for months. Jesus am I ever a moron. But anyway, the government owes me money, so good for me.
In celebration I am going to start the IRA that I discussed starting over Christmas, which I have also been inexplicably procrastinating on. Ah well.

In the course of pondering my finances (why is it that I somehow feel like discussing my finances is more personal and private than discussing my actual privates? I'm much more comfortable telling y'all about my vagina and whatever I've put into it most recently than I am telling y'all the same about my bank accounts.) I came across a list on my bank's website about the top 10 most frequently stolen cars of 2005.
1. 1991 Honda Accord
2. 1995 Honda Civic
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1994 Dodge Caravan
5. 1994 Nissan Sentra
6. 1997 Ford F150 Series
7. 1990 Acura Integra
8. 1986 Toyota Pickup
9. 1993 Saturn SL
10. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup
Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau

Yes. Toyotas from the 80s are among the most likely vehicles to be stolen.

I don't think I'll get into the excellent reasons why, as that takes much of the surreal fun out of considering the minds of car thieves. I'd be more interested to know what cars are most often broken *into*, as that's the sort of thing that happens most to my socioeconomic grouping. I've actually never had it happen to me, knock on wood, but that's only because I haven't had a car in so long-- I did have my flashlight stolen out of Z's car once. Ironically enough his car was broken into in the "nice" neighborhood in Westchester, after having spent several years entirely unmolested in a dodgy neighborhood of Jersey City.

But, on a related note, I present this bewildering story. Someone stole the mayor of Buffalo's SUV, drove it down the street, hit several parked cars while apparently attempting to return it to his driveway, and then abandoned it. On camera. When presented with the damaged automobile, Mrs. Brown said the car must have been stolen, which I suppose is a reasonable conclusion, but, uh, what? Also whoever stole it apparently had a key to it, as there was no damage to the door lock or to the steering column.
Very odd.

What is more amusing is to consider the acrimonious relationship of the city government and the city police force, which has been so absurdly wronged (from any point of view, they been done wrong, though what you think should be done about it varies by whose side you're on) that they have been threatening to strike despite that being illegal. [They were going to have a sick-out on St. Patrick's Day, which would've been priceless, but did not, fortunately or unfortunately depending on who you talk to.]
So I wonder how fast this case will be solved? Quite fast, I predict, if the mayor's teenage son is a suspect in it. Not so fast if it was a random crackhead. But we'll see. I am not much for predictions.


I am soaking peas so I can plant them. The yard needs a lot of work first, though, and it is not warm enough yet. It is supposed to be warm today but it's still not over 40. Which is my "warm" cutoff point. I did hang out some clothes on the line, though, so go spring!


I started this with grand plans of writing a really amusing and comprehensive entry but it has not proven to be so. However, I will leave you with two more roller derby observations.

1) I got my kneepads back from Pro-Designed! Rock on! They are awesome! My knees will be so happy tonight.

2) There's a roller derby story in this week's Artvoice, and it was done with great difficulty and at the last possible second by Z's heroic intervention, so we are resolved to ignore any factual errors and instead be pleased by its very existence. It, for the curious, is here, and is not nearly as bad as Z had me worried it would be.

And oh!! I finally read Good Omens.
I think I have to read it again.

But vulgarweed should be pleased to know that on the one hand, I kept cackling with glee upon recognizing things she'd referred to in her fics, and on the other hand, I was occasionally disappointed that the book didn't have things in it that it turns out she must have invented. You, my dear, are more canon than canon. Now I am going to reread *all* of your GO things, and love them more, because those things are in them and are yours. I hadn't realized quite how brilliant you were. ;)

Your car is on fire. Hilarious. I get it now.

Comments

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Aw. That made my day, hon.

You weren't expecting Aziraphale and Crowley to be explicitly shagging all through it, were you? :D

oops, edit to fix italics tag

[dragonlady7.livejournal.com]

No, no, it's just that I recognized them so thoroughly, you know? And I kept sort of thinking, "Hey, when does that one bit happen?" and then I'd have to go over and shake myself and say, "You idiot, that wasn't in the book, or you wouldn't know about it, because you haven't read the book yet." "Oh. Right. Duh. ... But that's my favorite part."
It may actually be more confusing when I read the book a second time...


But I do find myself completely at a loss when people say, "People write fanfic about Good Omens? With Crowley and Azriphael? I can't imagine!"
...
How can you not? They're gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide!!! Together!!

I sort of was expecting the book not to have so much of them bickering like an old married couple and generally behaving like, well, you know, like themselves, as it turns out, since all these people who I'd told about wanting to read the book because of the slash were so completely and utterly astonished that the slash existed. I actually sort of thought I wouldn't like the book all that much, since it's the A/C relationship I enjoy.
But it's there, it's canon, except for the buttsex parts, so I really can't fathom people's puzzlement. Many books just leave out the graphic sex parts anyway, you know? It's called missing the fun appealing to the mass market and you can't really blame them.


But yes, you, dear, are actually that brilliant. I will not be so tasteless as to write to the authors to say so, but I think your stuff really is the best part of the book. ;)

Re: oops, edit to fix italics tag

[vulgarweed.livejournal.com]

Hee. Y'know, if Neil and Terry didn't want the slash girls to Go There, they should have thought twice about having Anathema think they're a couple. Or had that Shakespearean-comedy ending where everybody pairs off. I'm always surprised that it surprises anybody. It's not very far to go to Go There.

Thanks so much - I'm just honored to be thought capable of keeping up. :D

[that-redhead.livejournal.com]

Let’s not forget the defensive component of the game: The blockers and pivots played a pivotal (pun included) role in preventing many-a-wannabe speed demon from lapping the pack. Coming out strong on defense were CN Red and Diamond Crusher, both of whom sent many opposing jammers onto their respective asses, along with a number of blasts from Mia Mauler, Dr. Dementer and others.

HAHAHAHA!! I love it!

[gyen-gaoltosing.livejournal.com]

Dude, good for you on the time off. :D That's always nice.

And my taxes were awfully easy, too. I double checked it, but all was as it should be. (I'm not complaining, though. I dread the days of owning a house and having kids and how complicated taxes will be then.)

[heebiejeebie.livejournal.com]

aaah gabe wrote it (http://itfeltsoweird.livejournal.com/profile)