saxikath

Some accumulated brain clutter from the past couple of weeks:

• California apparently requires very explicit warning signs when smoking is allowed somewhere. My hotel had signs everywhere saying "Smoking is allowed on this floor. Smoking is known to the State of California to cause cancer." There were similar signs warning about chemicals in use in the facility.
  
• I am in awe of the teachers I met with in Fresno. They are working in very difficult circumstances (a district that's 80 percent ESL, and in which 70-90% of the students in each high school represented are on free or reduced-price lunch, and where there are few financial resources), and are clearly very dedicated to what they do.
  
• I visited King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks one late afternoon/evening. (They're technically two parks, but they're managed as one park.) I took some photos that I haven't uploaded yet; unfortunately, I didn't get any good shots of the deer I ran into in a couple of places. (It was twilight, and I didn't want to use the flash so as not to frighten them, so it was hard to get clear pics.) The sequoias really are magnificently tall, though they don't have the bulk of the El Tule tree I saw in Oaxaca. It was lovely to get in some mountain time. Admittedly, it's probably rather foolish to go walking around the woods, in a place where there are bears, alone, at twilight, when no one on the planet knows where you are -- but it was good for my spirit anyway.
  
• Speaking of bears, I saw one at the ToV site on Sunday afternoon when I was getting my car.
  
• If you like a good burger, I recommend the Dog House Grill in Fresno. (Technically in Clovis, the next town over, I think.)
  
• Now that I'm out of the knee brace, I desperately need a pedicure. I may wait till the mosquito bites from last weekend fade somewhat, though.
  
• Also now that I'm out of the knee brace, I'll finally be able to wear the new sandals I bought! (I have the bronzey-colored ones.)
  
• Also also now that I'm out of the knee brace, it's time to get back to the gym.
  
• Man, decent-looking LARP armor is expensive. The new character I'm toying with could probably use some, but yikes. I also doubt much of what's out there would fit me (that's what comes from being a plus-size woman with some serious curvature). I particularly like the look of brigandine, but I don't have the money to throw at the good stuff. I may just go with my leather bodice thingy, which would work for leather armor.
  
• I should really clean my house.
  
• I suppose, even out of the brace, I should probably wait a while before I try tap dancing again. :)
  
• I feel very spacy at the moment. Some combination of heat, post-LARPishness, post-travelness, and general lethargy, I suppose.
  
• It's nice to be surprised by someone you wouldn't have expected doing something nice for you. Makes you reevaluate your expectations.
  
• Memo to self: stay out of ditches and watch your footing. You don't want to do this again.
  

Also, I realized that not everyone on my friends list reads all my puzzle-geek friends' blogs, and so I should probably actually remind you all about Wordplay. It's a documentary about crossword puzzles and the people who do them -- but don't let that stop you. It's really a very good movie, and portrays a world I'm part of in what to me is a pretty accurate and sympathetic way. Plus, it has high drama (no, really!), fun characters (including Jon Stewart and Bill Clinton!), humor, and cleverness; besides, it's your chance to see me, however briefly, in a feature film! :) It opened in New York last weekend, and opens around the country this coming weekend. Please, go see it -- you'll be glad you did. (In the Boston area, it's playing at the Kendall theater.)

"The red herring percentage has declined by 75 percent..." -- NPR reporter talking about fishing

Hasn't been to the Mystery Hunt, has he?

6:05, and not going home yet. Will be here a while yet, chopping up test questions. Diversions welcome. (I don't have AIM, but do have MSN messenger; e-mail if you want to know how to reach me there.)

Someone at work just described me as the "math expert" they've brought in. (I'm editing elementary math materials, so we're not talking calculus here.)

Now, ever since college, I've had friends who were serious, heavy-duty mathematicians. So being in a position to be called the resident math expert takes some getting used to.

I just shipped off four test books' worth of tear sheets and manuscript. It took ten hours' work over the weekend, and all day today, much of which was spent repairing work done by an outside person who totally misunderstood the project, but it's done. By me. (With some help from an editorial assistant who did some photocopying.)

And if it weren't for me, I don't think it would have gotten done. I work fast, and while I'm perhaps overly distractable in normal circumstances, when there's a crunch, I can get things done. I'm willing to do what it takes, even when it annoys me, and that's a useful thing. Pity it's an intangible thing that's hard to communicate in a resume.

Now, if there were just enough money at this company to hire me full-time... I like working here, and I feel useful here.

(And no, for those of you following crossfire_'s journal, this is not a Project X entry!)

I'm in the office this morning, because one of our outside writers completely didn't get her assignment, and it's supposed to go out Monday, so guess who gets to fix it? At least I get paid by the hour. There's nobody else here, and it's very quiet. Bit spooky, almost.

In other news... why are the successful games parties always the ones I can't go to? *sigh* But ex-roommate and I had a pleasant "girls' night in," complete with squeak-and-squawk session. That is, she got out her violin and I got out my viola and we hacked away at some poor innocent Bach and Handel. tahnan should be glad he wasn't home to have that inflicted on him... but we had fun.

If you're on AIM today and feel like saying hi, that would be cool. I'm going to start talking to myself otherwise!

Work: Currently back at Publicom (the place I was working on the North Carolina social studies project) for a week. Also have more math problems to write and probably soon a crossword book to do. (Memo to self: remember to bill them for the time & copying costs from getting copies of Boston Globe crosswords for them.)

Finances: Bleah.

Travel: Probably going to Colorado in a couple weeks... need to find out whether Mom is going to give me Little Red (her old car) or not before I make travel plans, since that will determine whether I fly back or drive back.

Theater: Next week is prod week for "Perfect Thing." I have to say, my part is hard on my self-esteem. :) I don't even have a name in the play (though I gave myself one) -- I'm just "Woman" -- and I'm the one of the three women in the show who is most blatantly rejected (and rejectable...) by the hero. Ah well, it's only three minutes. :)

Plus last weekend I participated in an informal reading of W.S. Gilbert's play "Engaged." Very very silly, and you can see germs of (and lines from!) many of the later operas.

Music: Good. Working on some new songs, including some Broadway stuff (a song called "I Want to Be Bad" from a 1920s musical called Good News, and also "The Wages of Sin" from Drood). Thinking about eventually having a recital with the theme of "Bad Girls." Anyone got ideas for good songs, especially classical ones, that could fit that?

State of mind: Enh. Not too bad, but (a) it's hot and humid, which makes me grumpy, and (b) I feel blah. Need a good creative project to shake me up. Improving the "finances" section above would help, too...

And that's the Kath Report. Aren't you thrilled?