My credit card came inthe mail, and i'm still wondering what i should pay on it. My budget is about to get a LOT tighter than it's been in the past year what with two people splitting utilities and rent rather than four. Thank goodness i might be able to get a raise in October.

I am excited about the new place, but i think the reality of finances has finally hit me. Or maybe i'm overreacting and feeling paralized. But daN and i are going to have a small splurge today useing up the rest of my "housewares" budget to pick up things like dishtowels, potholders, dish rack, broom, etc. All those things that our other roommates have always had that neither of us, de facto, never had to purchase ourselves. Now it's all happening at once. But i suppose that's normal. To be fair though, we're in good shape.

This week was hard at work. I packed every night when i got home, which actually felt somewhat theraputic and productive *especially after all the wine.* The week was nuts, and at the beginning of the week when the big boss asked if i had time for a particular project, i said simply, "it looks like it right NOW." By the end of the day, my week had shaped up quite differently, but all those things were still on my plate. When it rains it pours. But i think i lived up to the tasks, neither of which are complete but well on their respective ways, rather admirably. The other stressful thing at work is that one of our employees is getting let go. He works in the office side of things, and he has made so many assinine mistakes and has cost the company SO much money because of it. The really shitty thing is that he is currently on vacation (or was during the week), and he'll find out when he gets back. The print jobs he was working on ALL had mistakes on them, and most of the customers won't do business with him anymore. But when the bosses told the receptionist and i, they said, "we also don't want you guys to question your job security, because we know that whenever a co-worker is let go, it's really unnerving. But everyone here is very extremely pleased with the work you both do here, and so we also want to thank you for that." Strange timing for such a great compliment, but i'll take it. It's about time!

And it's about time to make some coffee for myself.

And now, for your moment of zen: a picture of my new checks: Fine Art

Amendments and Updates:

yes, paris! it looks like dan and i will probably be going in feb now so that it can be during one of his school vacations and so he doesn't have to miss work to go. that is one big reason -- the other big reason is because yes, we could make it work for october, especially since we'd be staying with other people, BUT it would mean we'd have to have the money for it now. and frankly, i'm not sure that we do.
but i'm still excited, and i heard from my friend abi kelly who lived in france for a year that she thinks everyone should check out paris in february because it's beautiful and the skies are pristine and it's not as touristy. good idea. the louvre's free morning is much less likely to be completely swamped.
well, this weekend has been really nice, and i have to say that it was cool to have mark and stef down here. it was kinda like how when lee and alan were down here, it gave us an excuse to check out a couple of things we hadn't checked out before. and we played a couple of games (dan and i are big on games) and that was fun too. unfortunately, the weather was miserably hot and humid, AND it was pouring on and off, so going places didn't happen so much. but we still had a great time, and it was fantastic to see them.
dan and i also went to have coffee and croissants with our new landlord yesterday morning. she is a cool old lady who has so many interesting stories! i love old people -- they have so much to share. it turns out she lived in brazil for 10 years, and it always stuck with her. she was on the board of councilors who opened up hampshire college (!!!) and she was glad that i had gone there and had so much good to say about it. dan charmed the heck out of her, of course :) and she also had a great collection of british literature, which excited both dan and i. we had a great conversation about jane austen. dan and i are optimistic. she let us borrow a book :) so yeah, she's cool. the real reason we went over there to begin with was to sign some escrow forms to open up a certain kind of bank account for our security deposit. i guess it's this kind of account specially for real estate and it accrues a lot of interest, so that's GREAT. glad to hear of it. so we had to sign the papers for it, and we ended up then having a great time with margaret afterwards. it was cool.
well, i guess that's all for now. i'm having a chill day since yesterday was fun and crazy, and i think i'm going to seriously consider what i can start packing... sigh.

"Education is the key that unlocks locked things."

For more cultural witicisms, see this week's "The Onion."

Oh, the excitement

Things have been very exciting in the life of The Spokeschicken since last i wrote. Let's see... i've gone to Maine and celebrated Mum's birthday, which was a lot of fun. It was really nice to see Mark, and I could tell that Mum was really just happy to have her chicks in one nest again for a bit. It was fun. We ate summer-y type BBQ food, and Dan was there with me, Lorraine was there with Mark, and Mark seemed sincerely happy to see me. Which was nice, since I was also sincerely happy to see him. We didn't fight even a little. It's funny how we still seem to need other people around in other for us to not start getting on each other's nerves. Also last weekend I was on my quest to find a pair of jeans that fit well, and I had been in the store for not longer than five minutes when i got some of the most excruciating pain i have had in recent memory. It was awful. Oh LORD do i hate periods sometimes! I was in so much pain i was shaking and holding down vomit, so i made my way to the Shaws in the same plaza just to find some painkiller. It was rough, but worth the trip. I then layed down in the backseat of my car for an hour trying to relax. It was not a very fun afternoon compared to the very relaxing morning i had had scampering around on the rocks and reading on Lucia Beach. Ah well. I got over it.

This past week kind of went by in a blur. I'm getting TIRED of Dan not being here. I mean it! I have been to bed before 12:30 only one night, and it was friday because i was so exhausted from the week of sleep deprivation. Tuesday night i hung out at Q's place, Wednesday night I hung out with Lyrica, Thursday night I hung out at Annie and Ivan's, and then Friday i simply crashed. Matt, Laura, and I watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics (which were GORGEOUS), and then i called Dan around 10:00 and probably said something resembling a goodnight, but really, I just went right to sleep before 10:15. I was pooped! The thing is, Dan forces me to go to bed before midnight on worknights because he's already in bed and being cranky at me that i'mn not in bed yet, which it turns out is exactly what i need. Otherwise, even though i might have gotten home at a reasonable hour, i putter around and find things to do until suddenly i realize that it's 1am! And how'd that happen? So San needs to come home.

But, and you should all prepare yourselves for this exciting news, there is a solid chance that i'll be going to PARIS again in late October! YES, YES! Ron and Carol Watier and Dan's Dad Maurice will be going there from the 18th through the 26th, and they offered the spare bed to Dan and I! HOLY SHIT! SO, we're going to make it work. It comes at a HORRIBLE time, what with my sinus surgery a few weeks before that (= an unpaid week, and the fact that i have to talk to my doctor on monday to see if there is a real danger with me flying at that time), but fortunately, i will have been at Global Protection for a year at that point, and my accrual schedule for vacation time renews. YAY! The HR manager obviously wasn't as excited as I was when I told him the news, but he told me that he knows it's an opportunity i can't pass up. It will only cost us 60 bucks to stay there for the whole week! So now Dan HAS to get home so we can discuss exact dates so we can buy tickets... but i do have to call my doctor first. I'M PSYCHED!

The following was forwarded along to me by a friend. I liked it so much, i decided it needed a spot on my blog...

Things you have to believe to be a Republican today:

Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

A president lying about an extramarital affair is a impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

You support states' rights, but Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt.

What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

Feel free to pass this on. If you don't send it to at least 10 other people, we're likely to be stuck with Bush for 4 more years.

Friends don't let friends vote Republican.