All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go…

Oh sorry, was that my out loud voice? It is true though. I managed to get 2 days worth of warm clothes, toiletries, and my zafu into a carry-on suitcase. Now all I have to remember to do is get up at dark o'clock to drive to SFO. In keeping with this compulsively self-documenting phase I seem to be in, I'm bringing a journal, a camera, and a microcassette recorder. And knowing me, I'll be too busy soaking the whole thing up to even bother, but I hope not.

In any case, I hope it will be a great experience, a chance to rest and re-energize. And traveling is always nice—so many places to go, so little time and money. Until next month, when I return, here's a link to a little Zen experience.

Oh, and like about half the online world, I also won a TiVo. Of course, I won't be able to use it until I move and have cable again, but so what. It's the principle that matters. You know, the principle of getting something for nothing (or at least minimal effort). You can read my lovely 249-word (just under the limit) piece of fiction here.

And Derek? I did a little dance too. I don't have any pets to scare, but it's nice to know I'm not alone.

One more day until I leave for a weekend in Colorado. And not a moment too soon—I'm feeling really burnt right now with the workload and just keeping up with my life. Oh, and the car is dead…but long live the car! The Corolla has bitten the dust and will soon be on its way to Pick & Pull {sniff}, but I got one lucky break in the whole situation. My mechanic had a genuine little-old-lady car she was looking to sell for a customer. So ladies and gentlemen, I present my new car, a lovely grey '86…Ford Escort.

Still recovering from Fray Day 4. A wonderful evening all around—good stories, tasty bite-size food, haze-inducing beverages, and lots of interactive art thingies to play with. And I have a story already for next year, about the evil noises my car started making on the way up, and how Heather saved the day with her handy Swiss Army knife. I even got up on stage and talked for a while (no small feat, to those who knew me when…).

And people came out of our Closet! Not as many as I had hoped, perhaps, but they did. I'll have photos and such up shortly.

The car, however, did not have as wonderful a time as I did. It's sitting now at the mechanic's after I picked it up from the CalTrain station this afternoon. I consider it a small miracle that we made it to SF last night at all, and an even bigger one that I got it back down to San Jose. So now I'll wait for the fateful phone call…this may be it for my and my little beater. If the damage is too high I'll probably end up getting a new car rather than putting money into the old one. {sigh}

A nice weekend. It's the most relaxed I've felt in ages. Everything's still busy, but it seems to be settling into a groove for the moment that's workable. It's the first time I've taken to really take care of myself in a while—I slept in both days, took a lot of pictures with the new camera, saw a bunch of friends (hi all!), and remembered what it was like to just kick back. And I still got work done on the catalog, washed some laundry, and had a few drinks. Now if I could just wave a wand over my desk…

Oh, and by the way…a week or two ago, when I was whining about the gray weather? Well, that thermostat was a little late for the start of school, but it's back with a vengeance and a load of humidity to boot. When I got back from Seattle on Monday, I would have sworn I was at my great-uncle's in Maryland—just like breathing water. So I take it back; gray is OK by me, as long as there's a breeze attached.