Look at this and tell me: is this for real? Is this storm really shaped like that, or is this some kind of Nat’l Weather Service joke?

Rita - penetrating Texas

I mean, maybe my mind’s in the gutter, but damn if that doesn’t look like a peeee-nis.

(Image from here.)

 

In which the loo changes radically.

LISCO hired a new cleaning company for the engineering office.

Yesterday a woman spent 45 minutes detail cleaning the not-very-dirty bathroom, which annoyed me because I really had to go and 45 minutes is clearly overkill.

The point is that she apparently put in one of those tank pucks, and now the water’s a creepy, deep blue color and it smells like chemicals.

 

Migration update: I intend to install Ikonboard and move the database over next week, then we’ll be ranting again.

That is all.

 

I have two backups for comments on my blog. I need to merge them, but I can’t figure out how – if I import one file, it overwrites whatever was there, so I either end up with one set of comments (several years worth, from the beginning until nine days ago) or the other set (comments for the last nine days).

Any of you database geeks willing to help me out?

 

In which Brett returns a whole day early and I reveal to him that I have a boyfriend named Manhattan.

Brett rolled in around midnight last night, woke me up and ravished me. Then we stayed up ’til three in the morning having A Big Talk about our trips and our life together. It’s so nice when we do something and actually have something to talk about; we can go months sometimes without having a real conversation because we’re together all the time and already know what’s going on with each other.

He said the Telluride Blues ‘n’ Brews fest was awesome, and he told me about all the acts and caught me up on all the gossip about the Colorado contingent: car accidents, divorces, jobs, personality quirks, etc. I told him all about the fabulousness of my New York trip in great and vivid detail.

The Big Talk part of all that gossiping was about our marriage and our life together. Neither of us are very happy, to be honest.

I woke up at 8:30 this morning and didn’t have time to shower before work. So I’m not having the best hair day, and I’m really tired.

That redheaded man is an awesome snuggler, though.

 

Being a running list, 18-24:

turbot
anomic
diktat
——–

 

In which I have a bad case of “I hate Iowa” syndrome.

In contrast to the buzz and hustle of my amazingly fulfilling working vacation in NYC, here’s a ‘relaxing’ image [read that as absolutely dripping with sarcasm] of this morning’s commute:

Morning Commute

Yeah, that’s about a thousand acres of soybeans, two hundred thousand dollars worth of farm equipment, and two human beings.

I’m so lonely.
——–

 

In which I’m still crushin’ on NYC.

Here I am (on the right) waiting for the C train at 42nd street in my cheapo $5 Chanel knock-off sunglasses, which I bought on the street from a guy who insisted on cleaning them and removing the sticker for me:

Shades

And that’s Aimee on the left, looking totally fucking hot. (I only posted this because she looks so hot. I look like a mafia bride, but since I’m cool I’m posting it anyway so you can see how hot Aimee, The Easiest Woman In The World To Travel With, looks.)

And before I forget, a few more New York impressions:

  • Pregnant women walking around wearing high heels.
  • Highschool girls with more cleavage than, well, a lot of cleavage.
  • The subway platforms are one hundred and five degrees in September.
  • Tiny, tiny dogs. Little tiny small tiny dogs. Everywhere.
  • You can always smell food when you’re outside, no matter where you are or what time it is.
  • It’s never quiet, and it’s never dark. Ever.

God I wanna go back.
——–

 

I’m back from New York and I’m working on my site. (It had to be moved again, so I’ve got half-installed scripts and data spread out all over the place.) Keef gave me IP access to the old server, so I’m in the process of moving my junk over here to our new home.

So the goblinbox is on its way back, baby! Some links don’t work yet!

Meanwhile, my blog is here. I love New York and wish it were my boyfriend.

 

In which I come home and ache for NYC.

Oh, sweet Manhattan, my love. I miss you so already.

I misted up getting on the train to Jersey at Penn Station. I know you’ve already forgotten me, you fickle bitch, but oh how I miss you.

~+~+~

I have never responded to any location the way I did to New York. The place totally resonates with me. Everything I’ve ever wanted is there. And holy shit, I could sing there all the time.

Waking up in Manhattan and going to sleep in Iowa will fuck your head right up, let me tell you. I’m currently alone in my house, on twenty-seven acres in the middle of nowhere, in the utter solitude and silence of rural Iowa. I can’t hear a single noise beside the fan in my computer and one of the dogs licking herself.

Talk about culture shock.

I think I’m depressed.

~+~+~

Mr. Brett called me and said, “Baby! How’s New York?!”

“I LOVE NEW YORK!” I said.

“Where you at?”

“I’m outside of Agency.”

“Oh, you’re home already?”

“Yeah, we left Manhattan this morning. I fucking LOVE New York, oh my God. I can’t even tell you. How’s Telluride?”

“We’re in Denver. We’re going up to Ron’s for the night, maybe two.”

“We?”

“Me and Ron and Jeff and Miko.”

“Oh, give those dudes a big, wet, sloppy kiss on the mouth with tongue for me!”

“Normally I would,” he said, “but Miko got hit by a car yesterday and his face is all fucked up. Thirty stitches in his mouth, and his skull is fractured.”

“Oh no, that poor bastard, he has the most consistently horrible luck. How was the very Reverend Al Green?”

“Oh. My God.”

“Oh your God?” I asked.

“OH. MY. GOD.,” he intoned. “He was amazing. Joan Osbourne sang a duet with him, and Maceo Parker was incredible, and so were the Black Crows!”

“You’re so lucky! I’m so jealous!”

So he probably won’t be home until Thursday. But why hurry back? I told him to take all the time he wants. I miss him, but neither of us really wants to be here anyway.

~+~+~

When I went to pick up Bindu I told Barb that I want to sell my house and move to New York. Immediately.

“How would Mr. Brett fit in there?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I could just lock him in the apartment. All he needs is a couch and a television!”

~+~+~

Yes, I’m definitely depressed.

I want to go back to New York. I think I’ll start making plans tomorrow for my next trip. Deb said I could stay with her! I need to check out Brooklyn anyway.

I have to go to bed so I can work tomorrow.

Sigh.
——–