I’ve spent the last couple of weeks job hunting, interviewing, picking up freelance work, and working on the biggest project of the year at my regular job. I feel like I’m juggling too many things, but so far I haven’t dropped the ball on anything major. I woke up in the middle of the night and decided I might as well get up and write for a few hours, since my project deadline is fast approaching. I wasn't sure what quality of work I would produce in the middle of the night, but I’m actually pretty happy with the stories now that I’ve read them in the light of day. Nothing spurs productivity quite like deadline pressure....

Is David Letterman ever coming back? Other than a short article that said he had a case of shingles, I haven't been able to find any information about his absence. I don't think he was out this long when he had quintuple bypass surgery. I'm beginning to think he's dead, and they don't know how to break it to us....

Someone delivered a bagful of candy to my office suite last week as a token of appreciation for our hard work. The assortment included one kind I'd never heard of - chocolate-covered sunflower seeds, with a bright-colored coating that makes them deceptively appealing. I popped one into my mouth and immediately declared it the worst candy I had ever tasted in my life. (Apparently we haven't been working hard enough around here.)

This spud’s for you
One of my Idaho friends flew in for a visit last weekend, and came bearing gifts. I am now the proud owner of a potato-adorned magnet in the shape of - you guessed it - Idaho.

I ran across the video What About Bob over the weekend and realized that while I enjoyed seeing the film years ago, I have no interest in watching it a second time. But I can watch another Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day, again and again. Which is strange, since watching that particular movie once is pretty much like watching it again and again....

The nice thing about job-hunting - even if it's in the face of a potential layoff - is you can daydream about the things that might be better about the next job. Maybe I'll have an office with a window. Maybe the pay will be better. Maybe there will be a great single guy in the next office. (Hey, if I'm daydreaming, I might as well go all the way with it....) At the very least, maybe they'll have an efficient cooling system. It's at least 85 degrees this afternoon, and my building has no working air conditioner. I feel like I'm working in slow motion.

I lived in Japan when I was between the ages of 4 and 6. One of the skills I picked up - besides the impressive ability to count to 10 in Japanese* - was the ability to use chopsticks. Whenever I end up at Tokyo Express for lunch, the person who takes my order will ask if I prefer a fork or chopsticks, and I always opt for chopsticks. With take-out orders, I've learned to check the bag for the requested utensils before I leave, because they usually give me a fork instead. I must not look like the chopsticks type.

* Okay, so I'm not exactly bilingual.

Quote of the Day:
The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how good I get, I'll never be as good as a wall.
- Mitch Hedberg

(I'm not into tennis - I just liked the quote.)

After two years of mocking the Atkins Diet, I'm actually thinking of going on it to lose the five stubborn pounds that won't seem to budge. The biggest challenge will be breakfast, which is now made up completely of Atkins-forbidden foods (toast, yogurt, juice, cereal, bananas). But I am looking forward to indulging in a few other delicacies without guilt: steak, cheese, deviled eggs, omelets. We'll see how long I last before I become a crazed woman in Safeway's bakery aisle, loading my cart with every bagel, muffin and loaf of bread I can lay my carbohydate-deprived hands on.

I’ve always wanted to live on a street with a beautiful name, like Magnolia Avenue or Lakeshore Drive. Instead, I live on a street with a bland number name. I suppose it’s better than my experience a few years ago living on West North Lane - which seemed to confuse every person who assisted me with a phone order. I think my best missed opportunity came when I tried to buy a house on Stella Lane. I ended up not qualifying for the purchase, which carried double disappointment. I was so looking forward to people asking me what street I lived on and being able to yell Stella!