The bird flu.

OK, I'm pretty sure what I have isn't the bird flu, but it's something. Hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday afternoon. Maybe just the normal flu. Which wouldn't be so bad, except I'm working today and tomorrow. Nothing like working the weekend AND being sick.

Anyway, bitchfest over. I've got my Campbell's soup for lunch, I've got my Ricola lemon-mint drops, and my generic Dayquil (with actual pseudophedrine, which is tough to come by in Indiana). I shall persevere. Plus, if this picture doesn't make anyone feel happy, what does?

This car is automatic.

From Slate:

"Although I still couldn't drive a stick shift, I did learn something important: I discovered that the source of America's obesity epidemic wasn't portion size, or lack of exercise, or the decline in smoking. It was the invention of the automatic transmission. Here I was, the typical, atrophied American, barely able to press the clutch without my slack muscles begging for relief. Automatic transmissions became widely available in the 1940s. Over the decades, as Americans have increasingly embraced them, they've increasingly increased. Since you need both hands to drive a stick shift, there's no way you can also be sucking down Slurpees and shoving in Big Macs. It's because of automatic transmissions that we're becoming blob people who will soon have to be hoisted into our behemoth vehicles.

"Compare us with Europeans, who still generally have firm left legs and discernable waists. About 85 percent of cars sold in Europe have manual transmission. It doesn't seem like a coincidence that European weights are creeping up in tandem with upward sales of automatics. (Idea for a best seller: French Stick-Shift Drivers Don't Get Fat.)"

I still haven't learned to drive a stick, even though my brother keeps telling me he will teach me how sometime. (His Jeep Wrangler is manual.) I need to know for when I get my Ferrari someday.

I see this author's point on the link between obesity and automatics, having shoved many a French fry in my mouth and washing it down with a hefty Coke while cruising the highway. However, I do know people who can multitask while driving a stick -- for example, my Spanish madre, Concha. On numerous occasions, I saw her adjust the radio, bat at her rowdy kids in the backseat, and apply lipstick, all while navigating Madrid's thoroughfares at alarming speeds in her tiny Toyota hatchback. (However, most of these actions were accompanied by other drivers' screeching tires as they swerved to avoid hitting us and beeping horns... and me, saying "holy s***" under my breath... and Concha, shouting, "Venga, por favor, hombre!" like it was the other driver's fault. She was an impressive driver.)

Venga, hombre... I miss Spain.

On the importance of good handwriting...

Left a scribbled note for my parents when I headed to work this morning: "Mom and Dad, I won't be home for dinner because Shane and I are making chicken at his place tonight."

Poor Mom... she thought I wrote "making children"...

lol.

January

God (and my editors) willing, I'll be here, where the boyfriend's parents have recently purchased a condo. I know, Florida = destructed wetlands, overdevelopment, hurricanes ... but it also means beaches, and for a Hoosier in January, that word is music to my ears. Apparently the area was hit hard by Wilma but the condo came through unscathed. :-)

Q: Where have you been?

A: Following this story, about 45 miles from my home. (Just barely in our coverage area.) It's scary stuff. Stories like this just hit too close to home -- especially if it turns out the murders were random. As I was telling my mother, "They live out in the country, sort of secluded." Mom: "Oh, like us?"

Um, indeed.

I take heart in the fact that we're not quite that secluded, or out in the country, as compared to this couple. But still, I'd been to that small town many times to go canoeing, had talked to the locals. People there are so scared. (I just filed my story on it for tomorrow's -- I'll update with a link then.)

Anyway, sorry to be a downer today.

In other (happier!) news, I do indeed have an apartment (NOT secluded or in the country), or at least, I'll have it at the beginning of November! Hurray. I am still lacking a few crucial items, however -- eg., toaster, television, coffeetable, etc. Ah, well -- as long as I have my coffeemaker, the rest is negotiable.

UPDATE (10/25/05): Today's story.

It just keeps getting better...

Today's traffic on the police scanner:

Dispatcher: "We've received a report that there's a herd of sheep loose on County Road 56."

I couldn't make this stuff up!

I have plates!

OK, so today hasn't really been that boring -- I did talk to the governor, after all. Plus a couple mayors, a county commissioner, and some state senators. Not bad for one morning.

But time for a little break/update, on a slightly more personal level. I've pretty much decided on an apartment -- a cozy (read: cramped) little place downtown that I like. Apparently a bunch of old people live there, and my friend Tim, so it should be fun. And, Lucy gets to come -- it's always better with a cat! There was another apartment that I liked better (mostly for the glittery, turquoise-blue bathroom fixtures from the 1950s -- and the lower rent), but alas, no pets. Lucy decides it for me.

So yesterday afternoon, I took a little trip to Goodwill... Purchased 6 matching dinner plates and cereal bowls, 4 dessert plates, salt and pepper shaker, napkin holder, various cooking utensils (like I'll use them -- hah!), and 6 sets of semi-matching silverware. (I.e., they're all stainless steel. Actually, the forks all match, but after spending 10 minutes digging through Goodwill's silverware tub for matching spoons, I said "screw it" and just started grabbing off the top.) All for less than $20! Ah, Goodwill, how I love thee. I'm pretty pleased with myself, because I don't see any need to invest much money in kitchenware -- that's something you let your relatives buy you for your wedding. If things continue going well with the boyfriend, I anticipate having matching stuff in my kitchen in a couple years. (Stay tuned.) :)

As far as parents go, mine are pretty great to live with, but I'm so excited to have my own place, finally!

Hemingway

A little musing on the "razor-sharp prose" of Hemingway, for those who are interested. :)

Fun with the police scanner, Vol. III

Dispatcher: "CP advises there is a loose cow wandering around County Road 35..."

Gotta watch out for those renegade bovines around here!