Settling

People always talk about letting you settle when you move to a new place and it kind of makes me think of a bird getting a nest just right and then taking a moment to poof the feathers out and settle down just perfectly. You talk with people and they tell you how wonderful it would be to see you "when you get settled" only to find that once you get up there and ARE settled they sometimes give you a "oh my that was fast, well, we'll be sure to have you over once you're settled" which is entertaining when I started the conversation by telling them how settled I was. Of course, while there is a settling period for me, my social network is ALSO having to settle because now they have to factor in the fact that I'm living locally and how much, if any, time they can actually spare for me. This is perfectly normal and okay of course and makes total sense to me, I'm just amused when people tell me, now that I'm in town, they'll see me when I'm settled, when they really mean they'll see me when THEY'RE settled with the idea of me being here.

Which is all to say I have arrived in Portland and am completely unpacked and officially settled, Hooray! Although having said that, packing, moving, and unpacking took up many consecutive days of much work and back strain and I am officially pooped. I'm going to try and take it easy this weekend and conserve my energy for my future which seemed completely predictable and depressing in Reno and now seems delightfully if terrifyingly unknown in Portland.

word of the week

Been encountering the word "Pandemonium" a lot this week. I always wonder when that happens if it's the universe trying to warn me about something.

Pandemonium - Pet Shop Boys

Blow Wind Blow

Blow Wind Blow - Tom Waits

Blow wind blow - blow
me away here -
blow wind blow (repeat)

Great moments in Reading

Okay, maybe not so much. But I still dug this part near the end of volume 3 of Elric when I was flying back from Portland on the plane and feeling moody:

"And now, Elric had told three lies. . . . And upon those three lies was Elric's destiny to be built, for it is only about things which concern us most profoundly that we lie clearly and with profound conviction."

l

Moving Schedule

For those of you keenly interested in my movements here is the fairly solid schedule for the move:

Friday, April 17: Load up truck
Saturday April 18: Drive up to Portland.
Sunday April 19: Unload Truck.

H

I don't like the drugs but . . .

So now I'm re-thinking whether I should drug my kitties. I bought this car netting for pets that will keep them in the back seat and I'm going to really stuff thing underneath the seats so they can't crawl under. This will let them roam in the backseat and hopefully alleviate some anxiety on their part (there will be a disposable litter box back there too). Now I'm second guessing the drugs since it will just be me in the car and my experience with the drug is you have to watch them carefully to make sure they don't get themselves into a position they're too drugged to get out of. So basically I'm thinking if I drug them they need to stay in their cages and if I don't I can use the netting. Hmm, decisions, decisions.

I've also been toying with the idea of asking if anyone would be interested in flying down to help me with kitties on the drive up (since J will be driving the truck), where I would pay for the flight. Although having said that I'm pretty sure I can handle it solo, I'm just a little anxious about potential problems.

It will be so good to be in Portland and unpacked.

Disney Laziness

Wow, they really liked to cut corners in the Disney Animation studios back in the day. Good lord.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Drugging my kitties

I tested the drug my vet gave me today for the car trip to get the dosage right. I didn't capture the failed jumps and knocking things over because I was also packing but here's a few clips of my kitties not so steady on their feet. Poor guys.

Garage Sale

Had a yard sale today. Sold all the big crap that I don't want to take with me to Portland (Bed, patio stuff, computer desk) and made $120. Happy and tired.

On a related note, who the hell invented 8:00 am?

H

Moving thought

The importance of good tape cannot be underestimated. Who could have foreseen that the pricey tape I got from home depot works really well and the cheap tape I got from Walmart is already peeling off of boxes? No one, that's who.

Illumination

I finally understand why conservative conspiracy theorists think George Soros is an evil liberal out to control the U.S. and take away their guns. He is simply terrifying to look at.

while I'm at it

I'm going to post the video for the song below. It's pretty cool.

Don't have to live . . .

a live of power and wealth.

Don't have be . . . beautiful but it helps

It's all kinds of bullshit that the new Pet Shop Boys isn't released in the states until April 21st but it's out now in Britain. For now, we must satisfy ourselves with the single:

Love etc. - Pet Shop Boys

Soylent Facts

When I was in my young teens, I prayed very hard that Jesus would not return until Star Wars episodes 1,2 and 3 were made so I could see them. In retrospect, delaying heaven on earth wasn't worth Hayden Christiansen's performance.

Soylent To-dos

✓ Look into future and see no happiness in Reno outside of work

✓ Decide to look into moving Portland

✓ Visit Portland, commune with soul of city, determine if I want to move there

✓ Get ex's stuff packed and out of the house

✓ Ask boss to let me work from Portland

✓ Get ex's birds back to her.

✓ Receive Permission to move to Portland and work remotely

✓ Start packing

- Find 3 Bedroom house or apartment in SW Portland

- Move to Portland

- Get membership at gym with good pool

- Buy prescription swimming goggles so I can see what the hell is going on at the pool

- Figure out how to interact with humans again.

- Be happy.

Big News

For those of you who haven't heard, my boss gave me permission to move to Portland last week. Hooray! I am including a video of how excited I got when I heard the news:



Seriously, I am oh-so-very excited. It took me a few days for the buzz to wear off. Like I packed half my house last weekend even though I'm not moving for a month. Still, can't wait to leave Reno and get to Portland. Hooray for me!

25 things I hate about facebook

Another idea I wish I'd had first.

Climbing the Walls

Been kinda sickish last few days. Have plans for podcasts, but not likely to appear until this weekend, or unless I stay home from work sick tomorrow. Last night was kind of a bizzarre night of no sleep. Apart from various symptoms, one of which was extremely annoying but probably too personal to throw out on the internet, my cats kept me up.

Oh, I forgot to mention on the blog! I have gotten my ex to take her birds back. The house is once again mine. And I finally have a regular person sanctuary instead of a bird sanctuary. I miss the birds, cause I liked them, but I'm positive it was the best thing that could have happened for all of us. Sooo, long story short. The cats are allowed in the bedroom again.

ANYWAY, the cats now work in shifts to keep me awake. If I close the door to prevent Zapp from playing with me, zatanna whines piteously and scratchs on the door endlessly. If I leave it open so she can snuggle on the bed with me, zapp comes in about every 2 hours starting at 6am asking for food, or just generally waking me up cause he thinks I should be awake after I feed him. Sooo, I may have to put a littler, some food and water in the bedroom and just give zatanna bedroom privileges for the night. If it ain't one thing it's another.

Anyway, things are proceeding according to plan for the most part. Getting the birds out was a big checkbox. Now I"m just waiting to hear from my boss in a week or two to know how I'm getting to Portland. In the meantime, I'm sick, irritated that I can't go swimming when I'm sick (or that it's not a good idea to) , and generally trying not to climb the walls. Which brings us to the video of the day, the lyrics of which seem almost perfect to what I'm feeling these days. Song first, then lyrics if you click all the way through to the full post.

Climbing the Walls - They Migh...

Climbing The Walls

I can't talk, I got to go
Don't call me back, I won't get the door
Got to focus on the job
'Cause I got a new job climbing the walls

I was grinding my teeth, I was wasting my youth
And using up my teeth
Now I'm done chewing my nails
Hanging my head, chasing my tail
It got so bad I quit my job
Then I got a new job climbing the walls

Too much junk, too much junk
Can we please clear out this house?
In the trunk, in the trunk
And then we'll take it all to the dump
Then we won't need the car
'Cause we'll stay where we are
And I'll have all this room

I got tired of pacing the floor
Sick of it all, I'm done with the floor
Walked away ever since I got a new job climbing the walls

I was grinding my teeth, I was wasting my youth
And using up my teeth
Now I'm done chewing my nails
Hanging my head, chasing my tail
It got so bad I quit my job
Then I got a new job climbing the walls

The deep end, the deep end
People talk a lot, but they don't know
They pretend, they pretend
They don't really know how deep it goes

Now I misunderstood,
Thought the wall was just good
For staring blankly at

I got tired of pacing the floor
Sick of it all, I'm done with the floor
Walked away ever since I got a new job climbing the walls

Now I'm done chewing my nails
Hanging my head, chasing my tail
It got so bad I quit my job
Then I got a new job climbing the walls
Got a new job climbing the walls
Got a new job climbing the walls

Popular wisdom fails again

So, apparently antioxidants have been shown to have no effect on cancer rates whatsoever. So what the hell are they good for? Apparently, they are still possibly good for a few other things, but who knows at this point. I think the best thing to do is just eat a balanced diet with lots of raw fruits and veggies and hope for the best.

Still, every time a study like this comes out it destroying years of accumulated popular medical wisdom, reminds me that medically we're still in the dark ages on many, many subjects. I just have no confidence that we really have a firm grasp on the subtleties of the biochemistry in the human body. But I think it's improving, just slowly. Here's to hoping we're living with star trek medicine in the near future.

Summer Must Die

For my Aussie friends who are suffering through a really bad and hot summer, I present: Bad Poetry

Summer Must Die

Mad Doctor Drongo was Crazy
He lived in the house up the hill
Redundantly named and quite lazy
He was probably mentally ill

Mad Doctor Drongo was Mocked
We made fun of him without any guilt
He ignored us behind doors that were locked
and just tinkered and thinkered and built.

Mad Doctor Drongo was Fated
He would save us though we knew it not
When the coolness springtime abated
and the summer became maliciously hot

Mad Doctor Drongo was Steaming
As he busted out his door in the heat
"My aircon is overloaded and screaming!
And this sidewalk is burning my feet!"

Mad Doctor Drongo was Furious
He turned mad eyes up to the sky
"If summer brings heat so injurious,
Then I declare Summer Must DIE!"

Mad Doctor Drongo Created
He made gizmos and gadgets and rays
He pointed them all at the sky and then stated,
"Almost there, give me just a few days!"

Mad Doctor Drongo was Victorious
The flush of triumph bright in his cheeks
His creation that killed summer was glorious
And it only took him 12.5 weeks!

--------

Ah thank, you thank you very much. Ah, I had forgotten how much fun it is to write vogon poetry.