Reconstituted Potato Flakes

Ow.

2009-04-11T23:56:47Z

I have to go get started on a bit of baking, but I don't want to. The recipe requires a pastry cutter and elbow grease, and my shoulder hurts. I think it's from doing so much cross-stitch lately. How lame is that?

Unusual awesomeness.

2009-03-22T16:37:49Z

It's raining! Not only that, but it's raining so hard that it's raining sideways!

Sometimes I really miss home.

Sometimes Facebook is annoying.

2009-03-18T01:34:37Z

I just read a note posted by one of my high school classmates on Facebook, going on about how "we Conservatives want a divorce from you Liberals."

One of the statements in the note is "we will continue to believe that health care is a luxury and not a right."

I hope I'm around to see it when he has been laid off and lost his health insurance, but suddenly tears a tendon in his knee and needs surgery to repair it. Because I'm pretty sure I know how that's going to go.

PS, I know this sounds mean, but I kind of don't care right now. </mean>

Skin It by Robust Statistics

2008-01-10T03:24:27Z

It's the Album Cover Meme! (yay archangelsk!)

1. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The article title is the name of your band.

2. Go to http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The final words of the last quote on your page are the title of your album.

3. Go to http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
The FOURTH image on the page is your album cover. For a more dynamic, less philosophical cover, try http://www.flickr.com/groups/flickrsocial/pool/.

4. Design your cover — layout and presentation are up to you.

5. Post your cover, along with these instructions. In the comments your friends will tell you what kind of music you play and the name of the album's single.

So... what kind of music do I play? And what is my [certainly #1 hit] single?

Minor beef.

2007-12-27T19:07:38Z

I am all for having Rock Band in the office, no question, but I am really over having to sit here all day hearing nothing but the SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK sound of someone playing the drums badly such that you can't hear any music, just drumsticks smacking on fucking plastic. CLOSE THE DOOR ALREADY.

heathbar27 @ 2007-12-24T22:40:00

2007-12-25T06:41:36Z

big orange & lucy on christmas eve

Photo Album

2007-09-27T03:50:56Z

Photos from China are here if anyone feels like looking. :)

Dilemma... HELP!

2007-07-24T00:04:47Z

So I'm having a minor dilemma. And I can never think about these things in my own head.

The situation is this. My friends live in this cute apartment in a super cute neighborhood, not far from where I live now. I had sort of halfheartedly looked for a place to rent there but in the end, due to relationship circumstances, I just felt too apathetic about the world at large to look very hard and resigned my lease at the end of June for another year. However! Their upstairs neighbors have moved out, and from all I've been told it sounds like her landlords are going to offer me the place.

You'd think this would be an easy choice, right? Super cute neighborhood, good friends downstairs, etc. But no. See, the trouble is, it's a 2BR for more money than what I pay now, which means: roommate. At first this was actually a positive - I had a friend who wanted to take the place with me, at least for a while, and my rent would go from a blistering $1310 down to a much softer and gentler $825, not to mention half the utilities. Unfortunately, this friend of mine has, to put it gently, withdrawn herself from this plan, which is why the "roommate" thing is now a negative.

So I have a choice. Take the place with no roommate, move in, and get the smaller room rented -- the landlords are fine with this as long as the person passes their check -- probably for about $700 or so a month I'm hoping, which still reduces my rent down to a manageable $950. Or, don't. The other major problem complicating this is, of course, that I'll have to break my lease to move, which could be anywhere from fairly to extremely expensive. And, well, if you know me you know I can't decide things, so here I am, asking you all.

Here's a list of pros and cons to the idea. Any and all comments are more than welcome and in fact encouraged. I always feel like there's some crucial thing I'm not seeing when it comes to these kinds of things.

	Pros	Cons
1	Rent would hopefully be somewhere between $900 and $1000	Rent would stay at $1310 -- more than one paycheck at this point. GACK
2	Cute neighborhood	If I can't find a roommate right away, I'm stuck paying $1650 alone
3	Will get in habit of keeping the house clean due to roommate's presence	Must break lease to move. If I take the no-liability option it costs $1300; if nobody rents the old place right away, I'm stuck paying indefinitely until someone does.
4	Good friends downstairs! Much socializing and hopefully closer friendship	The other big one: a roommate. Little privacy, less personal space (including shared bathroom). Aren't I too old for this??
5	The room would be getting rented out sometime in August, which is prime time for students, and the location is close to two major colleges and three major freeways	Students are not necessarily the most reliable renters, especially when they're required to pass a credit check and sign/commit to something. And the method of finding said roommate - craigslist - tends to turn up a really large number of very flaky people
6	Washer/Dryer hookups means no more laundry at Mike's	Yet More Money Outlay - deposits, first/last, new washer and dryer, movers, etc
7	Plenty of street parking	Even without a roommate, there will be less space for me and my crap (although I could stand to prune again)
8	Quiet - no drunk people wandering by the window at all hours, couples fighting, kids screaming etc.	No dishwasher (ugh!)
9	More contact with humans for my cats, especially while we are away in China	No handy dandy immediate-response maintenance service
10	Learning to live with people again after 8 years living alone is probably a good idea	No more fitness center, pools or jacuzzi (which I rarely if ever use, but still)
11	Good view with a nice breeze, wood floors, actual color on the walls, new carpet and a HUGE patio	Nowhere to hang my hummingbird feeder and no hummingbirds either (okay this is minor, but it does make me sad)
11	Just as close to work, and a better bike route

I guess when I reread them now, the first five or six entries in the "con" list boil down to two things: money, and roommate. Or more elaborately, the money that it's going to cost in order to pull this off, and the unreliability of having a roommate. Which are fairly large concerns, but maybe the various aspects of them didn't deserve their own entries? I don't know.

Anyway, there are probably more pros and cons on each side. I'll add them if I think of them, but I'm tapped for now. Please, if you see any holes or potential holes or the shadows of what look like they might be potential holes if you were to investigate, speak up. Or if you have an opinion of any kind. Because Jebus knows I need some kind of sounding board for all this.

heathbar27 @ 2007-06-18T12:23:00

2007-06-18T19:23:37Z

heathbar27 @ 2007-05-06T19:34:00

2007-05-07T02:33:04Z

Dogs barking; can't fly without umbrella.

meme-y!

2007-04-21T16:39:40Z

The one-word meme, courtesy of tasha.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Describe your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/lover? sleeping
3. Your hair? dirty
4. Your mother? nice
5. Your father? cool
6. Your favorite item? cats
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your favorite drink? soda
9. Your dream car? nonexistent
10. The room you are in? office
11. Your ex? sucks
12. Your fear? everything
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? married
14. Who did you hang out with last night? Mike
15. What you're not? thin
19. The last thing you did? breakfast
20. What are you wearing? PJs
21. Your favorite book? Hitchhiker
22. The last thing you ate? toast
24. Your mood? tired
25. Your friends? peachy
26. What are you thinking about right now? meme
27. Your car? Jetta
28. What are you doing at the moment? meme
29. Your summer? warm
30. Your relationship status? together
31. What is on your tv? nothing
32. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
33. Last time you cried? forget
34. School? nope

heathbar27 @ 2007-03-14T19:33:00

2007-03-15T02:34:58Z

My feet hurt and I hate everything right now.

heathbar27 @ 2007-03-05T20:57:00

2007-03-06T04:58:12Z

Bring the rawk, Seattle: Thai place, Renton. Two locations, one in a sort of industrial zone and one by the Target. Classmates lunch staple. What the hell was it called???

heathbar27 @ 2007-02-14T18:19:00

2007-02-15T02:20:25Z

64 years ago today, Valentine's Day 1943, Frederick Richard Bartell proposed to Marion Harriet Borleske. And they lived happily ever after.

You did good, Grandpa. Miss you...

beat me up!

2007-01-28T08:04:00Z

Heather
Level: 15

Strength: 10

Intelligence: 10

Magical Ability: 7

* Hotness: 2 *

Fangirl Hordes: 10

Fight your friends! Play AnimeVersus today!

PS: to S. and her little one W. - kitties are good, I'm good, life is good. I can report no drama! Sorry to take so long to reply... work keeps me from email more and more these days.

Fun with Math

2006-11-07T17:56:08Z

Caution: Frivolous Entry Ahead

I went with Mike to the Chipotle around the corner from my house last night for grubs. I ordered a vegetarian Bol (their meat is icky). The 'vegetarian' option for burritos and Bols is listed on their menu at $5.20. At the end of the line, it contained:

rice
pinto beans
hot salsa
cheese

I also ordered a lg. drink, which is listed at $1.60-something or thereabouts. I'm not exactly sure what sort of mathematical oddities occurred at this point... some equation shrouded in mystery, which, when we discover it, will probably allow us light speed space travel... but when all was said and done my total was rung up as $2.80.

YAY MATH

okay truthfully that particular chipotle usually rings up a Bol with very few components, like mine, as a cheaper thing, but a buck twenty? righteous! my much-smaller-these-last-few-months paychecks and I thank you.

Sayin' a little prayer.

2006-10-15T00:48:35Z

O Great and Cruel God of Airfares:

I now approach you, a humble supplicant, offering prayers and sacrifices so that you may, in your infinite wisdom, not do away with the $350 Christmas fare from John Wayne Airport to Milwaukee before I can speak to Mike about buying it. I light many candles and burn many offerings and generally behave like a pyro so that you in your infinite wisdom will preserve this fare for the next day or so. And should you in your infinite wisdom choose to preserve the "Extra Savings!" discount on said fare please do so knowing that I have already sent many thanks SABRE-ward to honor you thereto.

In your name, A-Fuckin'-Men.

heathbar27 @ 2006-09-08T19:58:00

2006-09-09T03:01:11Z

Did you ever have the feeling that your friends have just decided they don't like you anymore? And that the reason you haven't heard from them in a few weeks and they cancelled their RSVPs to an event you're attending is because they're just done with you and are trying to "disengage"?

I hate that feeling.

I guess it might be my earlier boy anxiety transferring, but at the same time this has happened to me several times in my life now and so it almost seems inevitable that it'll happen again. I guess that just makes me more susceptible to worrying about it or something. Whatever.

Here's hoping that's NOT the case!

heathbar27 @ 2006-08-26T13:06:00

2006-08-26T20:11:12Z

I'm sick. I'm not sure with what, but I'm sick. My sinuses are stuffed, making my whole face hurt, but at the same time I feel weak and not really able to do a whole lot without sweating buckets and feeling nauseated. I'm all sniffly and phlegmy but at the same time, no cough, no sore throat, etc. wtf.

I just ran my garbage out to the dumpster (and I do mean ran -- it was run, or be picking up the remnants of the burst bag... again) and when I came back up the stairs I felt like I was going to die. Then when I washed my hands with my lilac-smelling soap (favorite scent ever) I wanted to die and puke. Or more likely, puke, and then die afterward. The last time I remember having THAT problem I was down with influenza for a week, but I'm not having the body aches and chills that I had then, or the fever.

So this is extra awesome because: normally my employer encourages people to take sick days when they're actually sick and accordingly affords quite a few -- 10 per year, I believe. Except THIS week, my boss is out of the office on vacation and if I were to stay home, the only people that would be there would be.. the interns. Who only work three days a week, so actually more likely... nobody. And there are eight projects (no, seriously) to get done in the next week and change. Only two of which have even been started. So I can't stay home.

So... in closing I guess I'd like to say: dear universe, fuck off and die, and don't forget to puke first.

spatch me! I mean meme!

2006-08-13T16:24:30Z

Oh, by the way.

2006-07-21T18:11:55Z

Many of you already know this but -- today is the last day at my job. I just got out of my last meeting -- EVER -- with You Know Who. I never have to talk to him again in my life. In a few more hours, I can begin to forget he exists at all. HOORAY.

I have Monday and Tuesday off and then start working at Potentially Awesome New Employer on July 26th. With benefits!

Hooray.

heathbar27 @ 2006-07-06T12:20:00

2006-07-06T19:22:57Z

Oh my fucking god. Could you possibly be any more of an ASSHOLE? The page isn't fucking finished. I haven't even put it through the validator yet because it isn't fucking finished. I have not received a single review or edit yet, which means that I am still waiting for changes, which means the page isn't fucking finished. So of course there are probably some errors because it isn't fucking finished. And WHY THE HOLY LIVING FUCK are you sitting around trolling for errors in my code, which isn't fucking finished and fixing them unsolicited, and then emailing my boss about it??? Don't you have ANYTHING BETTER TO DO?!?!?

Update!

2006-07-01T21:15:55Z

The Roomba is (room)bopping around the apartment. I think it's been under my couch a dozen times already, and it just made a near-perfect edge around my coffee table. It just barely fits under my card table by slipping between two legs of one of the folding chairs. Once it was under there, I thought it was going to need a rescue -- no way it's going to be able to get back out, I thought, no way in hell. But? IT DID! Bumped around under there for only about 60 seconds before figuring out A) there's not much under there and B) exactly how to get itself out from under there.

The kitties are not afraid of it, although I would say "wary" might be an appropriate term.

It's not allowed in my bedroom yet, because I haven't cleaned up in there enough to let it in, but it hasn't even gotten close to making it down the little hall and around the corner, either. Hopefully sooner or later it'll figure that out.

VROOOOOOOOOOMBA. OMG. Get one of these. Because it? Is the shit. The SHIT!

(Double update: about 10 minutes after this post, I was in my bedroom clearing thr floor for yon Roomba, and what should I hear but knocking at my bedroom door. I open the door and there's Roomba, spinning on a spot clean, about to bolt right into the bedroom (which wasn't clear yet). Literally had to slam the door on it or it would have just charged right in there to do its cleaning duty. LOVE!)

VROOMBA! and PRIZES!

2006-06-30T23:24:18Z

Today in the mail I received the following item:

(No, I didn't pay full price for it. I'm only mostly nerdy.)

It is currently charging happily in its home base. Isn't it cute?? It is so cute that it needs a name. I put it to you, oh half dozen folks who read my journal, to give the new Roomba a name. The best name will receive a nice crisp fresh five dollar bill, or a Fatwitch brownie, whichever they prefer.

And... GO!

(Addendum: feel free to make as many suggestions as you have in your creativity stash! Might be better odds of a brownie that way anyway. ;) hee)

heathbar27 @ 2006-06-27T10:03:00

2006-06-27T17:07:11Z

observation of the morning commute no. 01
06.27.06

All those guys with the Calvin-pissing-on-some-logo-or-worshipping-some-religious-icon need to do two things. Number one? Get over it already. Number two? Pay some hefty royalties to Bill Watterson.

Poor Calvin. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't care about Chevy vs. Ford or Christian vs. Everyone. He just wanted to play outside with Hobbes all day.