On Why She Does Not Sweep

After a year and a half of living with Cassie, I finally understand:

"I don't even think about sweeping the floors because I've always had carpet. I used to vacuum all of the time, but I'm not used to hardwood floors. And you know, I don't even really like the hardwood."

Summer Blues

It still doesn't quite feel like summer. Mostly because I'm still feeling guilty at every turn for not getting this or that done. Today, the guilt over the messy house is at the forefront of my guilts. One of these days I swear I'm going to spend a sleepy day doing nothing and it will be the only thing I should be doing.

Expect More

All of the Isaac Mizrahi sunglasses at Target have a sticker that reads "Maximum UV Protection" while all of the other sunglasses in the store say either 99% or 100% protection. To me, saying maximum instead of 100% seems like a sneaky way of pretending to be 100% while being something slightly less.

I decided to check this reasoning with the sales clerk.

"Maximum is like, um, it's like somewhere in the middle. It means like 50%. Yeah. It's 50%."

Huh.

Not the answer I had expected, but enough for me to decide to put that pair back on the rack.

Elgar and Brahms

Dave was the house doc at the orchestra last night. No one needed his assistance, though. And this was a good thing, because after having an allergic reaction to an herbal cough drop, he was mildly covered with hives, his eyes were swollen to the point that both of his contacts had gotten stuck in the back of his eyelids, and he couldn't see a thing. I asked if he needed me to get the house doc, but he didn't think that was very funny.

PhDuh

When I signed up to speak at this conference Friday, I thought, "Hell. It'll get me to write that damned paper and what's the big deal anyway?" Why is it I can never really convince myself with statements like these? On the plus side, I have a very good reason to do some drinking Friday night.

Hands On

Part of Dave's new gig at work includes ordering parts for the hospital's simulation center. That means I catch glimpses of messages like these in his inbox from the rep at Limbs and Things:

"As far as the breast simulator goes, i was impressed with Kyoto's model"

and

"that testicular model looks good from here. do you have any experience with it?"

Apparently not all simulator's are the same, but with some proper research a discerning individual can select the right model.

Golden

Dave and I have been trying for months to see Into the Wild and we've been mostly thwarted in our attempts. Once, after driving 20 minutes, we learned that a theater had forgotten to update their listings on the website and it wasn't actually showing. Another time we believed the City Pages when it located the Hopkins theater in Eden Prairie. FYI: it's not there. This weekend we checked four video stores only to learn their copies were out. Driving home dejected and silent, we happened upon a McDonald's and an idea. Redbox. Sure enough. Dave wouldn't let me buy any french fries, but we were both really happy with this stop. On the movie, we felt ambivalent; on the redbox, we're sold.

Academic Hazard

I'm currently typing with a wrist-guard, velcro-wrap thing on each arm. It's slower going than usual on the ole' keyboard, but I'm trying to ward off a case of carpal tunnel that I caught from grad school. These accessories are fashionable in my office at least. Gradpals Carrie and Kate both wear them frequently with a variety of outfits. They are nothing if not versatile.