Saturday Stuff

My enormous black cat doesn't like me watching her jump up onto tables and chairs. She's so whale-like that her choice of furniture is limited. The surface has to be low enough for her to place her front paws on, so she can supplement her hind legs, which bear the brunt of her enormous gut. I have to be on alert--when she wants to sit on my lap, she's been known to try to haul herself up by gaining a clawhold in my thighs. A strategic move on her part since this is the fattest part of my anatomy, but even my saddlebags are not enough to support her. This morning, she lost her first try to jump up on a chair in the craft room, and wouldn't try again until I left the room, staring at me pointedly til I exited.

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One of my favorite things about the weekend is the ritual of opening and closing the house each day. Shoving aside the curtains and opening the windows on the rest of the world in the morning somehow gives me satisfaction. Though I may have to close up early today, the clouds are promising rain at any moment. Doing it all the other way in the evening makes me feel safe and cozy, the lighted lamps warming the living room.

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Geek Cred: Revoked. I went to Best Buy today to get M's laptop repaired. Apparently one of the hinges cracked a while ago, and last night the screen went blank. Not the Blue Screen of Death (I think), but the White Screen of Whatever. Luckily, he backed up much of his stuff last week. However, did I do the smart thing and fire up the laptop before hauling it to the repair counter? Noooo. And of course it was fine. The geek was very gracious (he was a bit older, so probably had more experience hiding his distain for idiots like me), and did point out that we could get the hinge fixed while it was under warranty, so the trip wasn't a total loss. Except I'm a dork.

After the humiliation at Best Buy, I consoled myself with a trip to the local paper store to research wedding invitations, the last big hurdle I've been avoiding. I just can't bring myself to spend half a thousand dollars on invitations; I now feel guilty for wasting poor Rudy's time at the printing shop--he was so nice and spent a lot of time with me. The shop had a decent selection of papers (this scrapbooking thing has gotten out of hand, however) and got some good ideas. M and I will have to spend our next date night at the store (right, honey?). Making them myself will be time consuming, but if we keep them simple, it shouldn't be overwhelming. And having handmade invitations may make up for the fact that their not letterpress. Maybe.

Pulling out of the paper store parking lot, I was treated to the sight of one of our local ladies of the evening strutting by. She actually didn't look too sickly or tweaked out, like most other denizens of the avenue. It's still so surprising to me that we have hookers in this town.

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Revenge of the Blog People: What intellectuals think of us bloggers.

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I'm a volunteer usher at our local cultural center, and tonight I'm working a talk by John Irving. I'm looking forward to it despite the fact that Saturday night shows interfere with my drinking. I suspect that Saturday night shows don't interfere with every usher's cocktail hour, however! One gal in particular--hoo-eee!

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I feel two beady eyes burning into my neck--must be time for Rex's walk, and maybe a nap before the show tonight...