Speak of the devil

The author of Half Life, Shelley Jackson, has an online novel.  It's free, it's just sitting there ready for viewing.  Anyway you can read it by clicking here.

New favorite fake shop!

And after looking at the site, Pantalaine , I think we can safely say that it is not actually selling any of these great product.  I wonder if this what "relational couture", from Half Life , my all time favorite book, would look?  Is this where the idea came from?  Did they steal an idea from a fictional character?  Bastards!  So many questions are raised by this site.
Here's some more choice pics.

Oh no! My wallpaper is gone!

Well, now I have a reason to put up a new one...

Waiting room of horrors

Usually the only other person who shows up at my doctor's waiting room.  We both follow waiting room etiquette and ignore each other.  Well he didn't show, a new patient did.  Apparently my answering her question about which button to press was an invitation for her to tell me her life story.  The most entertaining part for me was her assumption that people who go to therapy go because they have either a substance abuse problem or a "domestic situation."  It was really strange to be talking to another patient who was making such assumptions, that mental health is limited to addiction and as a companion to 12 step programs.  She told my three, no wait, four, different programs she was currently involved with.  She invited me to come along.
I was debating if I should tell her I was there to deal with anxiety/depression issues.  A part of me felt that it's none of her  business and she should know better than to ask, another part  didn't want to say anything because I was worried she have the "well, that's not such a big deal reaction."  Shameful, I know, I'll talk to my therapist about it.  She also asked what traumatic, life changing event made me decide to go to therapy. There really isn't one, it's more that I finally got decent insurance that actually lets me see a good doctor.
Anyway, I was so happy when her doctor called her in.  The worst part is that I had picked up the March issue of Details and wanted to read the damn thing.  They written a profile about the blond pony-tailed guy who sale bizarre exercise equipment.  I guess it'll be waiting for me week...*sigh*

How I fell off the wagon

and on to my face.
Well, not really.  I had one beer and one martini whilst hanging out with friends.  We even got to go this little bar in Long Beach that I had always wanted to go when I lived there.  It wasn't as nifty as it looked on the outside and the drinks were lousy, which was actually good for me since it kept me from overindulging on cheap drinks.  But we had fun.  
Anyway, I had two drinks, or one and a half because I split the beer with M.  Which is still an improvement over my bottle a day consumption, since that's all I had were the one and half beverages.  The worst part about drinking so much less is that I feel so much better.  Physically and mentally.  It's so strange...

My new desktop

Trust me,  this uploaded image pales in comparison to the vivid image that has been burned into my retinas.  I can see the negative version of it when I close my eyes.  And the text is actually rather smooth...

I love the "Keep Clam and Carry On" parody prints so much, and was so disappointed that I couldn't find a wallpaper for my desktop, I had to make this quickie version for work.   The text in the upper left conner is balanced out perfectly by all my folders.
It's a bit shoddy, yes, but I'll make a better one later today.

Less Drinking = More Baking

Actually it's no drinking, but that didn't sound as cute.  Anyway, since my nightly ritual of a drinking a bottle of wine while watching cartoons is no more, I've had to take up new nighttime hobbies.  So baking it is! At least for this week!  I had  been craving coffee cake, so I've made the pass few days now.  Not only does it make the house smell nice, it allows me to smugly bring my breakfast to work.  No more early morning donut runs for me!  As delicious as they are,  I'm spending my only cash on the bus.  I only carry about $5 in cash a week, so I have to make it last the full work week.  This is one of those cases where being lazy is good for my health. Sort of...