evile: good morning & welcome to Day 4 of Me working 10 hour days.
*yecch*
SkyeDS: nods...I've been working 10 hour days all week
SkyeDS: 8 hours at IBM and then a half hour drive to downtown to do
another 2 hours at a private lawfirm
evile: I am seriously burning out. I don't think I'm actually getting
anything extra accomplished. :(
SkyeDS: it may be this way for two months or six, who knows
evile: *hugs* Hang in there. I thought I was goingto keep up this
pace for the entire month of January, but it ain't gonna happen.
SkyeDS: forgive me if I'm slow in responding btw
evile: no biggie.
SkyeDS: my sitch is different than yours. Rather than trying to
increase productivity or get more done, I'm a) making extra money and
b) keeping an opportunity open for when the IBM contract ends by
working at night
SkyeDS: and in two months or so, Hugh might be ready to ramp his
practice up and need me full time
evile: Smart move.
SkyeDS: I think I may be able to make enough to cover stuff all by
myself for a little while, while sineater job hunts, because his contract
is nearly at an end
evile: yowch.
SkyeDS: I know I can keep us afloat until his new unemployment claim
comes through, assuming it does
evile: I don't know if it'll make any difference, but the WBA was
raised recently to $333. Did I tell you about the fundy wackjob who
didn't want to accept a check for $666 :P stupid ass. Money is of the
devil anyway, so might as well take it.
SkyeDS: rofl
evile: I think it's only $5 more than the maxiumum last weekly
benefit amount, but...every little bit helps, I guess.
SkyeDS: helps gas or groceries anyway
SkyeDS: particularly with our commutes
evile: yup.
SkyeDS: I think what doesn't help me is that I have my period this
week, which always makes me tired, and this is my first week working
nearly 50 hour weeks
SkyeDS: next week will be better, I think
evile: *fingers crossed* Maybe once you get used to the long hours,
it's not as bad.
SkyeDS: was just unfortunate that I had to start conditioning myself
to it on a week where i'm normally run down, but this too shall pass.
evile: Too bad caffeine does such a number on you. Otherwise I'd be
recommending major amounts coffee--that has been my fuel this week.
SkyeDS: caffein will be ok next week, when it won't cause worse
cramping (cramps have been bad this month)
evile: But then again, I've been sleeping badly, having nightmares &
night sweats. Possibly due to coffee od during the day. Or maybe
something else. :P
SkyeDS: as long as I don't drink enough to produce another migraine
SkyeDS: which is counter productive
evile: yucko.
SkyeDS: I hate nightmares (they also give me migraines) :( any idea
what the nightmares/sweats are about besides caffein possibly?
evile: General stress. X guilt. Sweetie wants a puppy. I hate my job.
Then I have nightmares about it.
SkyeDS: don't know what to tell you about your job. as I'm not even
permanently employed, even at something i hate.
SkyeDS: I can see Sweetie wanting a puppy
SkyeDS: and what's going on w/ X?
evile: Puppies are like babies. and I know that 1) we dont' have time
for one and 2) He'd get all the 'fun' puppy stuff and I'd be scooping
the shit. Just like if we had a real kid. Cats are more like
teenagers-- could care less where you go or what you do as long as
there's food. And then occasionally suprise you by being very very
sweet. I could probably stand to raise a teenager.
evile: I haven't seen or talked to X in months. I don't know. I
guess I'm just about the age she was when the crap hit the fan in her
life, she called 33 "the jesus year"...so maybe she is viewing her
arrest & jail time as some kind of martyrdom. And...who knows, maybe
Jesus was doing something in his time period that was seen as just as
repugnant and awful as what X did. I dunno. Crazy wierdness.
SkyeDS: Jesus didn't start His ministry until He was 33
SkyeDS: err 30
SkyeDS: it lasted 3.5 years and He was sacrificed at 33
SkyeDS: or so the story goes
SkyeDS: and nothing is known about Him from the time He was 12 and
debating with the Elders in the Temple until He started preaching or
whatever you'd call it at 30
SkyeDS: and hearing Xianity coming out of X is...well one could
apply any number of adjectives.
evile: *shrugs* But to his contemporaries, Jesus was a heretic and a
criminal and a rabble-rouser, and his ideas basically threatened
peoples way of life. So...is that in any way comparable to breaking
(possibly unjust) laws re: possession and selling of drugs?
SkyeDS: I have to plead the 5th regarding my own views of
legalization of drugs.
SkyeDS: but whether or not I agree with the law, I abide by it.
evile: I dunno why I dreamt about her or thought about her. I guess
it just bugs me that there wasn't any real closure and that the kids
are stuck in a situation I see as being terribly unhealthful. And I
can't really do anything due to my own morals & sanity being
threatened by involvement with them.
SkyeDS: besides, she was stupid, she got caught
evile: yup.
SkyeDS: I know many professionals who use recreationally at home,
without it interfering with their performance of their professional
duties, and they aren't stupid enough to get caught either.
evile: You can't save people from themselves, I guess.
SkyeDS: I don't know if it would be comforting or more stressful to
have someone third party and somewhat objective keep you posted on
the kids, who wouldn't report same activities to her.
evile: Mom is trying to keep in touch with the kids through X's
stepmom. I haven't asked how that's working out.
SkyeDS: boss just walked in, brb
SkyeDS: bk
SkyeDS: sorry bout that
evile: No biggie. Work is the priority when you're at work, right? :P
evile: I had an interesting development on the GWNN front. Two
friends I thought of as rather 'vanilla' are interested and want to
go on Saturday.
SkyeDS: if I had to give it thought, I probably don't have many
vanilla/mundane friends
SkyeDS: even Bob & Phyl aren't really. She is, but he was a
Gardnerian Wiccan and used to live in a nudist apartment complex.
evile: Well, they're rennies. I know there's a good bit of crossover
in interests, but I didn't peg them as GWNN types.
SkyeDS: You know Chris from San Antonio.
SkyeDS: he pretty much quit HFS because of the criticism of his gwnn
type interests.
evile: That's a loss for HFS.
SkyeDS: life experience and spiritual studies lately keep
illustrating to me over and over again the interconnectedness of
things
evile: I was under the impression that Chris was getting more
involved with a motorcycle group & wanted to spend more free time
with that bunch. But I can see that as being his 'PC' excuse to
Sharjinka and keeping the other one close to the vest.
SkyeDS: I know ShadowMist gave him grief about Kirsten
SkyeDS: all I know is, I only saw them at one event together, and I
had to be paying very close attention because the collar and the
leash did not come out until they were in the car leaving and it was
late, and dark, and no one was watching them I don't think but me,
from a distance.
evile: And then he and Kirsten broke up...all that fuss for nothing :(
// at the munch on Saturday, one of the rope enthusiasts mistook me
for a sub. I was very irritated with him.
SkyeDS: but I've seen lately a lot of interconnectedness between
rennies, pagans, polys and bdsm'ers
evile: me too. But it's a mistake to make any assumptions. I
generally don't bring anything up unless the other person does first.
SkyeDS: did you turn his rope into CBT on the spot? <grin>
evile: He asked me what I was in to and I politely declined to
discuss it with him (a stranger, the first question out of his
mouth...can you say RUdE?) So then he told me he was the leader of
the rope group & made some assumption that I'd like to be tied up.
grr.
SkyeDS: to quote myself "I may be bi, poly, pagan, sex positive and
frisky, but I still won't fuck you, so go play in traffic"
evile: I smiled politely and told him I preferred to tie up my subs
with 'girly' things like ribbons and scarves, not nasty old itchy
rope.
SkyeDS: the Japanese are particularly fond of rope bondage. I don't
find it aesthetically pleasing personally.
evile: heh. I like yours better. I need it on a T shirt or a button
or something.
SkyeDS: there is a kind of man who assumes when he finds out I am in
an open marriage, that I automatically say yes to anyone that asks me.
SkyeDS: and that is what I tell them.
evile: I dunno, maybe I'm still too much of a noob...maybe it is
perfectly ok in that milieu to approach someone and demand to know
their kinks without even introducing yourself first....I just found
it rude.
SkyeDS: demands are rude in any milieu
evile: I thought so...but I'm still pretty new at the GWNN thing, so
I am quieter & not as confrontational as I would be in another
situation I was more familiar with.
SkyeDS: I have only been to one gwnn munch, and as you might remember
there weren't many there but they were all polite as far as I could
tell.
evile: Sweetie said it was a perfectly legitimate question, given the
groups purpose. But I thought he could have at least said "Hey, I'm
Jaime, I mod the rope group" before launching the question at me.
SkyeDS: so as to avoid the "who the fuck are you?" factor, absolutely
evile: Oh well. Sad but true: I find lots of social retards in every
group I belong to. Some more than others. ...
SkyeDS: I'm glad that you found the polys in particular since they
make you so happy, and most groups fail you in the long run.
SkyeDS: every time I say something about the polys, and i've only
been able to go the once so far, Kaleon keeps saying he doesn't
understand why I go when there are so many who hate me there
evile: The polys are a smart bunch & most of them seem pretty well
integrated into normal society. I am beginning to suspect that my
Karmic mission in this life is to demonstrate correct behavior to
various non-mainstream groups.
evile: How the hell would Kaleon even KNOW that? He only went to two
poly dinners that I can think of. He is manipulating you & playing on
your insecurity...
SkyeDS: since there's only one person there who knew me befrore I
attended the one function (PNO Terri - not counting Pace), I don't
see how that would be.
SkyeDS: it's his opinion that they hate me based on what they've
heard.
SkyeDS: personally, I wouldn't claim to know someone much less hate
them based on what I've heard if I've never met them <shrug>
evile: I think most of them have lives & such that would prevent them
from devoting much energy to 'hating' you based on hearing something
once upon a time.
SkyeDS: worthwhile people will reserve judgment until they meet
someone. and I don't care about nonworthwhile people.
SkyeDS: not like i have time to do anything other than work now
anyway.
evile: I haven't heard anything bad about you, or anything about you
at all, really... Jeff talks/asks about you every once in a while,
but that' about it.
evile: When X came to poly dinner with me that one time, she said
ugly stuff, and Kaleon agreed to disagree with her, but that's IT.
evile: So I don't know what orifice he's pulling this "the polys hate
you" nonsense from. Mindgames seem to be a specialty. I wouldn't have
credited him with having that much subtlety, but oh well.
SkyeDS: I have been trying to encourage good behaviors and discourage
bad ones with him. And i seem to be making progress. With the
exception of his knee jerk reaction every time the subject of the
Polys comes up
SkyeDS: it's really a nonissue since I'm not intimately involved w/
the group and don't have time or inclination to change that in near
future.
SkyeDS: Kim and Travis are mving to Dallas in two weeks permanently
so Barad Duin is losing two of its four major officers in one fail
swoop.
evile: Hopefully sineater won't let Kaleon's negativity ruin his
occasional interactions with the group.
SkyeDS: and there isn't much left to be Monarch over anyway, politics
have led to attrition
evile: I know sineater is very protective of you & would not want to hang
out with people who 'hated' you.
SkyeDS: sineater doesn't speak to Kaleon
evile: So much for Kim's recruitment efforts, i guess. Oh well. Pease
park is still a cool place to hang out.
SkyeDS: what recruitment efforts.
evile: But Kaleon may assume that something he says will get back to
sineater and create friction/misery which will somehow benefit Kaleon.
SkyeDS: I made offers on many fronts...fund raising, recruitment/PR,
and got turned down flat on all accounts
evile: Didn't Kim go on a while back about finding ways to recruit
new people to B-D?
SkyeDS: she said she did, but I didn't see it
evile: Yeah, she didn't really respond to any suggestions. I guess
she knew she was leaving anyway,so why bother.
SkyeDS: and because PHyllis is moving before her term as Chancellor
is over, Kim wants to deprive her of the lands and title she would
normlaly get having served as an officer.
SkyeDS: well, PHyllis only had one month left to go on her term.
SkyeDS: and Kim is leaving before f'ing midreign of hers.
SkyeDS: no, she didn't know she was leaving until about a week ago.
SkyeDS: Travis got a permanent job in Dallas.
evile: That's annoying & hypocritical of her. My mantra : "It's only
a game"
SkyeDS: they thought about pulling that on sonar0m but wisely decided
not to.
SkyeDS: I hate rules lawyers
SkyeDS: I hate letter of the law over spirit of the law
SkyeDS: and consequently I can out rules lawyer the best of them. I
hate it, but I'm damned good at beating them at their own game.
evile: At least apply them to everyone if you're going to apply them
strictly.
SkyeDS: you may or may not remember
SkyeDS: but last year in Drandmir a stink was made about Jose being
in Waco at Baylor for half his term as ruling lord
SkyeDS: so then when they had elections, Thax was running unopposed
SkyeDS: and then Nezz decided at the last minute to run just to be
tacky
SkyeDS: he took the election away from Thax and promptly proceeded to
go to college in Dallas and not be at the park for the majority of
his reign.
SkyeDS: so I wonder if Kim is going ot try that.
SkyeDS: I would hazard a guess that whatever rules exist about
absences of officers are probalby different between Drandmir and BD.
evile: probably.
evile: I wonder what the Dallas people are going to think of them...
SkyeDS: I don't have a high opinion of the Dallas groups in general
although I do have individual friends in both of them.
SkyeDS: you know of course what happened when I took the horses to
Plano.
evile: I've never been to any of their stuff, so I wouldn't know.//
No, I don't think I heard about Plano.
SkyeDS: and of course Patrick and Gabriel are the backbones or
consider themselves to be of the two groups. <makes face>
SkyeDS: it's a long story but it's what precipitated the long overdue
waivers.
SkyeDS: but there are some nice individuals within the two Dallas
groups. As there are nice individuals within all the respective
kingdoms.
evile: I gave Patrick the benefit of the doubt for a long time,
because he does a lot of work for the group. But...not as much work
as he'd have everyone believe.
SkyeDS: Travis would be happy in just about any pond you put him in,
and Kim will be happy if she can embroil herself in nasty politics
<shrug>
SkyeDS: Patrick doesn't bother me nearly as much as Gabriel.
SkyeDS: although, Patrick did not redeem himself in my estimation
when he picked a fight and started a flame war with Katy of all
people.
evile: I've never interacted with Gabriel at all. His posts in hfs
in chaos do have a certiain 'tone' though.
SkyeDS: something even I wouldn't/couldn't/am not stupid enough to
even consider doing.
evile: That's pretty dumb.
SkyeDS: Gabriel's wife will sign her own death sentence where the
Nightmare is concerned, I suspect
evile: I dont' see why anybody should be pissed at one spouse for
whatever the other spouse did wrong.
SkyeDS: I don't really care about the wife/fiance hitting on sineater,
that makes me laugh. But her treatment of my child will get her
killed, by him if not by me.
SkyeDS: no. they both do things individually and then they do things
together.
SkyeDS: they're both insidious.l
SkyeDS: I paid no attention to Gabriel until he chose to flame me
after CRW that year i went
evile: You let Raptor handle Jessie pretty roughly without comment.
what made GAbriel/wife different?
SkyeDS: Gabriel attacked me, separately from what his fiancee pulled
with Jezebel
SkyeDS: Raptor's rights have been revoked
evile: good.
SkyeDS: but he didn't nearly do what Metal did.
SkyeDS: I don't know why sineater let her take Jesse without his being on
Mirage.
SkyeDS: you know how he is.
SkyeDS: but she convinced him that she knew what she was doing.
SkyeDS: so he let her go off unsupervised.
evile: yuck.
SkyeDS: the area was mountainous an drocky
SkyeDS: they needed shoes, were already tenderfooted and very nealry
lame
evile: how awful.
SkyeDS: so we told everyone to be very careful, and let them pick
their own footing and give them right of refusal
SkyeDS: so she takes Jesse and makes her gallop barefoot up
themountain.
evile: nice.
SkyeDS: in addition to hitting on sineater, which is immaterial in most
ways.
evile: sineater's a big boy, he can tell skanks to fuck off quite well on
his own, I imagine.
SkyeDS: and then pretty much disrespected everything i asked of her
when we were in Plano.
evile: rude!
SkyeDS: Ricky is rough on Jesse's mouth. Metal might lame her for
life or put her in a position requiring euthanasia.
evile: that's bad.
SkyeDS: I don't hold Gabriel responsible for Metal and Jesse. I
don't hold Metal responsible for Gabriel's unwarranted attacks on
me. I intensely dislike both of them separately and equally, jointly
and severally.
evile: aha. I guess Gabriels' just more vocal on the lists & such
SkyeDS: just as a note, if you're going to hit on sineater, abusing his
horse does not help your case.
evile: ya think? :P Jeez.
SkyeDS: and Rita who is a good friend, left both Dallas kingdoms and
went to Calinorn, hours away, because of the political bs.
evile: wow. that sucks.
SkyeDS: so Kim should feel right at home.
SkyeDS: I don't know how well Travis will play with Gabriel and
Patrick
evile: Probably not very. Travis is a pouty crybaby.
SkyeDS: he is typical of his sign in that respect
SkyeDS: and he has outside influences that only enable and encourage
it further.
evile: I am always so tempted to spank people like that...not that
they'd appreciate it or that it would improve them, but it'd make me
feel a hell of a lot better.
SkyeDS: if I spanked everyone who needed it in my estimation I'd
never have time for any number of more important things, or I would.
evile: hee!
SkyeDS: there are too many people that would benefit immensely from
an iron frying pan applied liberally to the side of the head.
evile: I think double-pithing would be a nice way to deal with the
truly nasty people of this world. Especially if they are nasty people
with pretty exteriors.
SkyeDS: I have long thought that Circe's spell in the Odyssey worked
on the as above so below premise. Corollary: as the inside nature,
so the outside exterior.
SkyeDS: or, as Bill Ingvalls aptly puts it, they should have
signs. "Here's your sign."
evile: hee! exactly!
SkyeDS: when one can see the horses' tails, and asks me anyway what's
in the horse trailer....here's your sign.
evile: Mouths and brains not connected, obviously.
SkyeDS: the teenagers that wanted to know on Halloween, when they
heard the clip clop of the hooves on the pavement as we rode up to
them, not only if Arthur was real but if the horses were....here's
your sign.
evile: Hey, it was Halloween. Y'all could have just had REALLY
realistic costumes :P
SkyeDS: :P
evile: There was a whole thread on alt.fairs.renaissance once about
how many patrons will ask a well-endowed wench 'are they real' and
the many amusing responses we came up with together.
SkyeDS: odd, but only once have I ever been asked that
SkyeDS: by the dancers of the Yellow Rose, whom you would think
should be able to tell by looking.
SkyeDS: they made me prove it by shimmying my shoulders
evile: Heh.
SkyeDS: and then wanted to look at my legs and asked me to bend over
and grab my ankles preferably without bending my knees.
evile: You should have charged them for that one.
SkyeDS: they put $50 in my tip jar before asking me to jiggle in the
first place, so I was obliging
evile: cool :)
SkyeDS: the Boss said that if we the BJ dealers were asked to
unbutton buttons or take off shirts that we could if we wanted to,
for the purposes of tips or whatever, at our own discretion
evile: that's pretty awesome.
SkyeDS: so I had bought two pretty silk plunge line bras with sineater's
permission and extracted a separate tip for every button I undid and
then another for taking off the shirt (and putting the tux jacket
back on)
SkyeDS: I was th eonly dealer with a tux jacket. The uniform only
required shirt, tie, and cummerbund
SkyeDS: so I was dealing in bra and tux at the Rose, which is how it
all came about
evile: yeah but the jacket is what makes that ensemble really _work_
SkyeDS: I wouldnj't have taken off the shirt if I hadn't had the
jacket.
SkyeDS: I had a good relationship with the dancers. Some of them
literally had it all. They had PhD's in maths and sciences. They
were gorgeous. They had professional level dance training (modern,
jazz, ballet)
evile: I often wear my corset & tux jacket together. I think it's a
nice combination. I wouldn't wear my corset by itself anywhere.
except maybe GWNN...
SkyeDS: and they were dancing because it was more fun and more
profitable than their degree fields or professional dance.
SkyeDS: I don't think I've ever worn my corset by itself.
Technically I shouldn't wear one at all because I do so closely
resemble a bucket of guts.
evile: That's a pretty interesting/sad statement on our society's
values, isn't it?
SkyeDS: truthfully. If I could dance AND if I had the requisite
figure, I'd probably do it in a heartbeat, as much money as they
make. And the dancers decide what they permit from the patrons and
what they don't.
evile: :P Corsets are nice. They make one feel sexy & they look cool.
Not to mention being a turn on for most partner-types. It's less what
you look like than how you feel wearing it.
SkyeDS: Kelly said something interesting the other night.
evile: oh?
SkyeDS: She said she could just picture me in the corset and my black
stiletto granny boots with the horse whip going ot visit the Baby's
parents and laying down the law.
SkyeDS: i tried to explain to her that I'm 90% sub and 10% dom, and
that only in the bedroom, but it kind of fell flat.
SkyeDS: there's a difference between TPE 34/7 and bedroom games.
SkyeDS: / 24 /7
evile: And then there are those of us who apparently 'dress' sub
and 'are' domme and vice versa.
SkyeDS: I suspect that public/private dichotomy is a common pattern.
SkyeDS: I am perceived as domineering publicly (somewhat mistakenly
but not entirely) and I am sub in bed more often than not (but not
entirely)
evile: They say the reason most submissives are sub in the bedroom is
because in the rest of their lives they are the ones in charge. So
I'd buy that.
SkyeDS: like Billy Joel's The Stranger. There's stuff about people
you never really know until you are in close intimate quarters with
them and over a long term. I always try to remind myself before I
form opinions, to form an opinion, not a judgment, and that the
opinion is not necessarily a well informed one.
SkyeDS: and that I might not really want it to be, if I knew.
SkyeDS: brb girls room
SkyeDS: bk
evile: cool. I could never be a dancer of any kind. But I did model
for art classes and that was cool.
SkyeDS: you would come a lot closer to being a dancer than me on both
counts (grace and body)
evile: I'm only graceful at a walk :P
SkyeDS: am not graceful even at a walk
evile: sure you are ;)
SkyeDS: at best I am less self conscious and awkward when at the
piano or in the saddle, and that does not equate to grace
evile: I discovered something interesting when I did my Decemberween
costume--the coin belt *is* actually magical & imparts shimmy-
ability. I knew it!
SkyeDS: I have a coin belt, but I wear it as a headdress (you've seen
it) I also have a very pretty belled belt that I can't wear except
when I am not riding.
SkyeDS: all of my stuff doesn't match because some is silver and some
is gold but oh well.
evile: Yeah, riding is tough on jewelry.
evile: I would think that 'in persona' you wouldn't care--Romany wear
all their wealth, whether it matches or not.
SkyeDS: zactly
evile: Eventually, when you have enough 'stuff' on, it all somehow
goes together anyway, whether or not it matches. I've noticed that
with my faire garb & accessories.
SkyeDS: I have lots of black and white, and then purple, red and
silver
SkyeDS: or gray, whichever
SkyeDS: I noticed on Doi Ya Mazikaa's site that they still have their
Xmas pricing up.
SkyeDS: maybe I'll get the chance to take advantage of it after all
when my first paycheck comes in (could buy just one thing for myself,
circa 30$ per dress, can't beat that at Target)
evile: black, brown, burgundy, tan, and green here. // I didn't
notice if they put an end date on their special, but it did
say 'christmas' or something that implied December. I'd definitely
double check before placing an order
SkyeDS: if it doesn't ring up differently during Check Out I had
planned to, yah.
evile: cool :)
evile: At the San Antonio NYE party there was a woman in a beaded
dress with a transparent red slip underneath. And black thong
underwear. I thought she had the body for it, but Brother A and Cousin B and
Stepdad were all HORRIFIED.
SkyeDS: I think it would be interesting to find out exactly what Cousin B
finds horrifying and why
evile: beaded dress=the one that is made of a lattice of beads, kind
of a 'crochet' look.
SkyeDS: my mom gives me the nicest clothes
SkyeDS: she has exquisite taste
evile: I suspect Cousin B is probably horrified by whatever horrifies his
company of the moment. All of his stories of what he does for fun
with his friends seem to depict a fairly amoral character.
SkyeDS: gave me two gorgeous almost garblike tops this Xmas...but a
while back, gave me a black shell top and a long sleeve black lace
overshirt (which I find goes quite nicely over corset or black silk
bra in intimate settings)
evile: nice.
SkyeDS: I have no desire to be Madonna and wear cone shaped bras
alone or over something as opposed to under....but I do like
opaque/transparent over something nice below...I think it can be
tastefully done. But i know I have no clue.
evile: I like that, too. Someone I was talking to ...somewhere...said
that was hideous & tacky. Different strokes, I guess.
SkyeDS: key is probably judging the intended audience
evile: sure.
evile: there are lots of things I'd wear to GWNN and not work, or
Faire and not in regular public, or whatever.
SkyeDS: sometimes I don't think women dress for men anyway, or give a
damn what men think is hideous and tacky. I think we dress for other
women.
evile: Men are clueless. The biggest fashion critique you'll ever get
from a guy is 'ooo....boobies!'
evile: most men, I should say.
evile: Patrick and his friend Heath used to go to the Yellow Rose for
lunch once a week,and Pat once said something to a dancer about her
shoes not matching her 'outfit'. I bet she figured he was gay...
SkyeDS: lol like the court case in Legally Blonde? "I know he's gay
because he knew I was wearing last season's Pradas"
SkyeDS: they made me watch that.
SkyeDS: they made me watch practical magic and forever young too.
evile: heh.
SkyeDS: practical magic was ok and forever young was pretty good
evile: I liked Practical magic. I haven't seen the other 2
evile: brb-potty break
evile: back
SkyeDS: wb
evile: Today is definitely flying by quicker than M-W. Probably
having someone to talk to :) I am actually getting things done, too.
SkyeDS: I'm organizing files, which I can do and talk too
evile: cool :)
SkyeDS: this is the first time I've ever worked purely as a paralegal
and not had some secretarial duties thrown in
SkyeDS: I have a secretary to use, but if I want what I want when I
want it, and done right, I have to do it myself...but that's ok too,
i tisn't slowing me down yet.
evile: Yeah, but that can get tricky. J-Law has a bunch of spoiled
secretaries at her office who flat-out refuse to do their jobs and/or
play stupid so she gets stuck with it. Because at some point, it
was 'just easier' to do it oneself.
SkyeDS: Delphine doesn't strike me as spoiled, she strikes me as not
having ....something
SkyeDS: and I'm not sure whether it's innate talents, or whether it's
skills or knowledges.
SkyeDS: she's supporting two attorneys.
evile: Nothing to be done if someone is just dumb, but if they are
lacking in skills, that can be taught. It just takes time away from
the actual task for someone to be taught.
SkyeDS: so she might not have enough time to do things carefully with
painstaking attention to detail and nice crispness, etc. Or, it
might be that she doesn't have the gene for organization at all. I
can't tell yet.
evile: I can see the temptation to just do it yourself, but then you
work someplace a while and you end up like Aunt L--doing the work of
your whole department while everyone else stands around with their
fingers in their noses, thumbs up their butts, limp dicks in hand.
SkyeDS: I'm not going to worry about it until I have to start
delegating some things so that I can get other things done faster.
evile: yeah. Once you get a better idea of work flow & start
prioritizing things accordingly. Every office is different.
SkyeDS: gave her yesterday what I thought initially was simple enough
and got asked does it have to be done today, at which point I
realized I'd better do it myself
evile: its a trap!
SkyeDS: my lawyers have always expected me as a secretary to be able
to organize files, put together binders, properly indexed and TOCed,
etc.
evile: *nods*
SkyeDS: but, I surmise that the state of the files in the first place
is largely to do with Delphine to begin with, so I might not delegate
to her at all if I can help it
evile: yucko. I temped at a place like that once. On the plus side, I
looked like a miracle worker by the end & they didnt' want their
permanent employee back..but it was sucky work.
SkyeDS: I'm doing my best to convince them that they should keep me
permanently. And I know that my attorney wants to. But IBM has cut
back so far, I doubt they'll let her.
evile: sucks!
SkyeDS: that's ok. Hugh has a few things going for him. He and I
get along, and are friends. He's a Leo and easy for me to work for
without major behavior modifications.
evile: Awesome :) Good to have options & opportunities.
SkyeDS: I have my own office there, with a nice view, a door,
beautiful cherrywood rolltop desks (yes two) and a credenza, lots of
space and nice things
evile: sounds very nice. I'd love to have a door....
SkyeDS: Geoffrey the lawyer'/building owner loves classical things so
the decorations are all exquisite and very much to my own tastes.
SkyeDS: the money won't be as good, but then money isn't everything.
evile: very true. Past a certain amount you need to live, that is.
I'm pretty security minded, put up with more crap than I should on
the promise of a steady (if minute) paycheck.
evile: They work J-Law like a dog, -but- she has her own office, she
has friends in her workplace, AND they do wine hour on Fridays from
3:30-5. So...to me, it'd be worht it :)
SkyeDS: well, 12 - 15 is acceptable for secretary
SkyeDS: 15 - 20 is acceptable for paralegal
SkyeDS: and with Hugh I'd be doing both
SkyeDS: so I would expect right at 15
SkyeDS: although I don't know, he might be willing to give me more.
evile: that's not bad. Better than I make :P
SkyeDS: I told him we'd cross that bridge when we got to it.
SkyeDS: fact is, working for a solo lawyer as half secretary half
paralegal isn't going to pay as much as a pure paralegal in a large
firm/corporation
evile: But you won't have as many headaches, either, esp. if your
attorney isn't a Diva/drama queen
evile: J-Law works with 3 or so of the partners in her firm, 2 of them
I NEVER hear about. #3 is constantly throwing fits, freaking out,
making last-minute changes, and generally being a PITA. So if you
worked in a 1 man firm for him, you'd be up a creek. :P
evile: It all depends on the personalities & working styles of the
people involved I guess.
SkyeDS: one of the many things that makes working for Hugh attractive
is that our personalities mesh so well naturally
evile: That is a giant PLUS.
SkyeDS: I know that I should be able to turn in the same superlative
professional performance regardless of how much of an ass my attorney
is.
SkyeDS: but if I havemy druthers, I want to work for someone I like,
and preferably admire and can look up to and learn from
evile: exactly.
evile: Not like I have much of a margin, but I'd give up a couple bux
an hour to have decent, intelligent coworkers and a job that actually
interested me.
SkyeDS: Hugh and I both are exceedingly fairminded
SkyeDS: and both are willing to offer the other more than the other
is willing to accept because of that fairness
SkyeDS: so I think he will compensate me fairly for services rendered
in addition to consideration for the cost of commute, which is more
than generous.
evile: I think that's pretty rare to find in an attorney. AT least
from J-Law's war stories.
evile: Yay! Sweetie's going with me to poly dinner tonight :)
SkyeDS: if I felt up to doing anything after work, going to the 2d
job would have to take priority anyway.
SkyeDS: quite truthfully, I'm tired, cramping and headachy, and I
want to go home, take a hot bath, with oil and a glass of red wine,
and eat red meat and chocolate, and read a book
evile: *nods* I am not sure I'll be up to anything after work, but
assuming I am, I'll go to polydinner, say hi & bye, and go home. It's
at Freebirds, and I hate that place.
SkyeDS: and go to bed early - I haven't gotten enough sleep at all,
any night this week
SkyeDS: if you don't like freebirds, you might like chipotle but I
don't know - Kelly and her kids love it
evile: I went to bed early last night. Feel better today. Still tired
of work, but I'm being productive.// the food at FB's (the one time I
actually managed to obtain some) was fine. The service is
insultingly, atrociously bad.
SkyeDS: I went to the chipotle in georgetown, and everything was
good, every last detail
SkyeDS: and that's hard to find, when you have two horses, one bird,
three other adults and two children in tow
evile: I bet!
SkyeDS: Basil's is no more :( But the owner opened a new restaurant
called Vespaio, tha ti haven't tried yet
evile: No Kidding 'restaurant explorers' is going to a place
called "Ronnie's" on Saturday. It's a prix-fixe type deal where you
have to make reservations 24 hours in advance, they send you the menu
and you can byob.
SkyeDS: but I will miss the setting
evile: Restaurants are risky businesses. They do beter in Austin, but
it's still not surprising to see them come & go.
evile: I was sad not to get to try DemiEpicurious before it went tits
up.
evile: They had oyster and lobster shooters I was dreadfully curious
about.
SkyeDS: I love seafood
SkyeDS: but I'm not an expert
SkyeDS: so when you find great seafood places please to inform
evile: ...I have no idea how I'm going to get to Ronnies in bee
caves at 7 and still manage to get to GWNN with Jaime & Kathleen by
930-10, and still fit in some bday spankings for Max....Saturday's
gonna be a crazy thing.
evile: I haven't found any good seafood in Austin. Acceptable, yes,
but GOOD, no.
evile: Had some _faboooo_ oysters in Corpus Christi (naturally) the
weekend we went to Ingleside.
SkyeDS: I haven't acquired a taste for oysters yet
SkyeDS: but I think I like bout everything else
SkyeDS: haven't had lobster but I love shrimp so I don't foresee tha
ti wouldn't like lobster
SkyeDS: think I might ought to take a lunch hour, it being nearly 2,
huh
evile: we should totally go to Vegas some time. The Rio has an all-
seafood buffet that is awesome :)
evile: Yeah, lunch is good.
SkyeDS: I should have gone to LV as soon as I quit dealinjg
SkyeDS: would have stood to profit
evile: I bet it would all come back--like riding a bike :)
SkyeDS: yahoo has blackjack, I play it occasionally
evile: see? you should totally go to Vegas with me sometime :)
SkyeDS: I would no doubt drive you insane, but it would be way cool
fun
SkyeDS: does LV require a week? or would a weekend or extended
weekend suffice?
SkyeDS: (LV = way cool fun, not driving you insane, didn't mean that
the way it might have sounded0
evile: nah. Vegas is too distracting to be annoyed by the people you
are with--I've been to Vegas with my *grandmother* f'r goddsakes,and
she was a royal tin plated PITA. No, a long weekend is about all you
can stand of Vegas. by the 4th day you are hallucinating the 'bing
bing' of the machines. 3 days is about perfect.
SkyeDS: I like 3 day visits in general
SkyeDS: I don't worry about the children that way
evile: yup. I'm thinking of doing xmas in Vegas this year. Keep it in
mind. None of the yahoo travel stuff will let me price it yet. But
I'll keep trying & keep ya posted whenever I find anything out.
SkyeDS: they say that Vegas is cheap if you can keep from gambling
losses
evile: Not as true as it was before 9/11, but yes.
Anyway, you need to get lunch. scoot! :P
SkyeDS: I am eating lunch :P
evile: Oh, I thought you were leaving for lunch . duh!
evile: I didn't want to keep you from eating & all that unpleasant
low blood pressure grouchy stuff
SkyeDS: I'm lazy. I sit here and eat ham and cheese and crackers.
evile: That works.
evile: Sweetie eats out most days & I really don't know how he can afford
it. I almost always bring a lunch. Order chinese with the coworkers
every other month or so.
SkyeDS: on next shopping trip, I will take some extra time and see
what i can work for myself that is more involved
SkyeDS: but the microwave is in the cafeteria on the other side of
the building, and I truly don't really want to make a trek just to
have a hot lunch.
SkyeDS: so ham and cheese and salad stuff might well suffice, and I
will get microwavable stuff to eat for dinner between jobs.
evile: That sounds good. The selection of microwave stuff seems to be
getting better
evile: There's a new low carb store on Burnet Rd in the shopping
center where herpeton used to be. Sarovar is the landmark for me--
it's right on the corner of the strip.
SkyeDS: oh really? wonder where Herpeton went.
SkyeDS: and do you have any bars lately that you lik emore than
others?
SkyeDS: low carb bars I meant
evile: I haven't found a LC bar yet that I really liked. I can eat
about half of a bio-chem 'fudge brownie' before it grosses me out.
HEB has a LC shake now, which I think is interesting. I think
Herpeton is up in the shopping center with Encore movies & music &
Trudys.
evile: I just don't have a very big sweet tooth anymore. So fake-
sweet just icks me out. I do best when I do really basic LC: eggs,
meat, veggies, cheese and that's about it. It's not that wierd/hard
for me to throw a couple of boiled eggs in a lunchbox with some ice
packs and go. About the same calories as a bar.
SkyeDS: there are some regular sweets that aren't that bad if you
just eat small enough amounts
evile: 1 dark chocolate hershey kiss has about 3 carbs. But it's a
challenge to stop at 1. :)
SkyeDS: I like the nuggets w/ the toffee in
SkyeDS: and I can stop myself if it means stop or none at all
SkyeDS: I'm more interested in shakes for breakfast than anything
right now
evile: Those are quite excellent. :) I still have a lot of candy
left over from D'ween. I have been going home and having chocolate
and port after work. Makes these 10 hour days a little more bearable
to have that to look forward to.
SkyeDS: I love eggs and meat for breakfast but truthfully I like to
sleep, and i hav ea long commute, so something has to give
SkyeDS: and no reason I can't have eggs for dinner
evile: Check out the store brand LC HEB shakes. They're better priced
than others, and anything would taste better than those hideous EAS
things. GAG!
SkyeDS: thanks to the rain and the stupidity of ausitn drivers in
general it took me half an hour to get from the start of 1325 down to
Parmer
evile: good lord.
SkyeDS: so I either have to change my commute time or find a better
path
SkyeDS: I think I'll do both
evile: Sweetie likes finding tricksy back ways. I just plod along the
usual path, myself. Then again, I take the bus and he drives. :)
SkyeDS: I'm thinking taking Parmer out
SkyeDS: and there are many ways ot get to Parmer
SkyeDS: some backsy and some not so much
evile: I'm sure that with a little experimentation, you'll find time
to reduce your commute time to something a little more tolerable.
SkyeDS: eventually I want two vehicles
SkyeDS: a dually/diesel to pull with
SkyeDS: and a hybrid to commute with
SkyeDS: maybe two hybrids, sineater needs one too
evile: yeah. that makes sense ;)
evile: Sweetie still hasn't started his diesel to biodiesel conversion
yet--why am I not surprised...
SkyeDS: sineater gets more accomplished when he has sonar0m to help
evile: technically, since it's 'my' van, I should just buy the kit
online and do it myself. But there is a reason I lease a new car--I
don't care to dig around in dirty old engines on my freetime.
SkyeDS: I don't remember you wanting a van
evile: I didn't. He got one without my permission. In the ensuing
battle and misery this was solved by it becoming mine to do with as I
please. Including repaint & reupholster if I like.
evile: which led to me researching how Caravans are painted &
discovering Gypsy Vanners. so...not a bad turnout.
SkyeDS: I would be happy with any gypsy horse, be it drum, vanner or
cob
SkyeDS: only difference being size
SkyeDS: they're all painted and feathery
evile: I just like to look at 'em.
SkyeDS: the next three horses I want to buy are all 6 - 10K ea
SkyeDS: a dually will cost 40K and it will most likely have to be new
SkyeDS: and a used trailer will run 10K
SkyeDS: and 50K for the land next door
evile: wow. Sounds like a lot of hard work & saving....
SkyeDS: have to acquire the land next door eventually anyway
evile: *fingers crossed*
SkyeDS: so I can build another house when I have to take care of Mom
& Dad and whomever else.
SkyeDS: don't know what I'm going to do if I havfe to take Mom, Dad
and MIL all at the same time.
evile: yuck!!!
SkyeDS: and tha'ts assuming Stepdad and K/Mom don't enter the picture
but I would imagine they'd rather be taken care of by you, Brother A or
Sister H...?
evile: I've never discussed it with either of them, honestly. I
suppose it should be brought up at some point. They probably dont'
want to think about it too hard.
SkyeDS: I don't want to either, on general principle, but my gramma
is 80 yo, and my parents will eventually be that age
SkyeDS: and just like Mom moved Gramma from Dierks to Txka rather
than the other way around, I will have to do the same if I don't want
to move back to Txka to care for them
evile: true.
SkyeDS: so my thought was build a nice little victorian house on the
adjacent land, and let whomever i'm taking care of live in the
current home
evile: sounds good to me.
SkyeDS: yes, it is obviously a doublewide on the exterior but it
looks more like a "real house" on the inside
evile: The important thing is to have someone nearby looking out for
ya, I would think.
SkyeDS: well, anyone who doesn't like that idea can find something on
their own in rockdale or thorndale if they want
evile: yup.
evile: Mom will probably do like my grandmother did: live
independently until she gets too frail, then decide to die and do so
in short order. Stubborn old bitches, my whole fam damily.
SkyeDS: to me th ewhole point of two homes nearby or adjacent is the
best of both worlds
SkyeDS: independent living but caretakers close by
SkyeDS: beats a nursing home, hospital, or being in the same house
evile: exactly.
evile: It occurred to me recently that I'm not using the 'learning
experiences' presented our existing house & property nearly enough.
I need to learn more about building & decorating, flooring, masonry,
roofing, etc. and I am just being a lazy ass and waiting until I can
afford to pay someone else. I should not do that.
SkyeDS: certainly lots of DIY libraries out there
evile: yup. It's easy to get overwhelmed. Plus...I work really hard
for m 'real' job, the last fuckin' thing I want to do when I get home
is go dig holes or lay tile or whatever.
evile: As with anything, though, I am sure that if I established a
discipline and kept at it, it would be rewarding eventually.
SkyeDS: I will learn what i need to know, when I need to know it
SkyeDS: fortunatley I am blessed with the dubious talent of '
SkyeDS: "cramming"
evile: hee. That's a good attitude to keep.
SkyeDS: it's one of the things that is useful in law
evile: I'm sure :)
evile: I wonder if it's too late to find someone else to go to
Ronnie's in my stead... I doubt J&K will want to join the No Kidding
people for dinner before GWNN, even though that would make logistics
marginally easier.
SkyeDS: I'm all for easier logistics
evile: http://ank.kloepfer.org/ronnies.jpg //According to Judy, the
woman coordinating NK's reservations, the menu will feature "lamb
with apricot sauce with either brown rice or cous cous." I am not the
biggest fan of lamb. It tastes like armpits smell.
SkyeDS: lol
SkyeDS: don't know as I've ever had any
evile: The only way I marginally tolerate lamb is grilled, with LOTS
of rosemary & mint/yogurt dipping sauce (middle eastern style,
basically). none of this apricot goo crap.
SkyeDS: tzatziki sauce
evile: good stuff ;)
SkyeDS: I have a recipe for it in my online recipe files
evile: speaking of middle eastern, of COURSE the polys are going to
Pyramids the same night I am going to see Terri's play. :(
SkyeDS: we both need Hermione Granger's hour glass that allows you to
be in two places at once lol
evile: yup. But then I'd overextend again and need to be 3 or 4
places at once. There's a law of physics in there somewhere, I'm sure.
SkyeDS: corollary to Murphy no doubt
evile: hee. Oh well. I'll make it all happen somehow.
evile: Maybe I can organize a smaller trip to the Pyramids on one of
the nights they have dancers. That would be cool & might make up for
missing the polys on the 21st.
SkyeDS: dinner and dancers would be lovely <wistful>
evile: I know you're gonna be working insane hours for the next
while, but if it comes together, I'll keep you posted.
SkyeDS: well, the insane hours may only last two months, dunno
evile: keep me posted, too, then. I can't remember if Pyramids has
dancers on Fridays and Saturdays, or just Fridays or just Saturdays.
So I'll need to do some research.
SkyeDS: could be that Saturdays are doable
SkyeDS: the horses are accustomed to stopping for dinner
SkyeDS: it's never been a problem
evile: That's what occurred to me as well :)
evile: I may have posted info or a suggestion a long time ago on one
of the HFS message boards about trying to get a group of people to go
in garb. But, naturally, nobody ever responded. I get tired of having
cool ideas and nobody to do them with.
SkyeDS: well you know I will always go in garb with you anywhere you
like
evile: :) cool!
evile: I always feel like you have a lot of stuff already going on so
assume you'd be busy...
SkyeDS: for the next two months that is universally correct
evile: Oh well, at least February is a short month :) I am going to
try and hit the Shadowmist event the 29th. Not sure if I want to go
thru the hassle of vending, even though whatsisname wants more
vendors for 'atmosphere' or whatever.
SkyeDS: didn't realize there was one
SkyeDS: 29th of Jan or of Feb? FEb?
SkyeDS: at their regular park or where?
evile: Feb. at their regular park. Feast at Ryan's restaurant, some
sort of 'golden corral' type establishment from what I gather.
SkyeDS: I could do that event
SkyeDS: wanna carpool or caravan or whatever?
evile: I sent the info to Rio. if she wants to vend, we'll vend.
But, 1) high school kids are almost universally BROKE and 2) I
question whether the organizers have gone through the proper channels
to get official approval to sell items in a city park.
evile: Carpool or caravan definitely sounds good :)
SkyeDS: I'll vend with you if you decide to
SkyeDS: I can do readings and contribute feathers and earrings and
what not
SkyeDS: could even sell rides, although I doubt anyone would pay for
them since they're used to riding for free
evile: I'll wait on Rio's reply, if she wants to. I don't really want
to go through all that trouble for what will probably be minimal
sales, if any.
evile: I don't know. Youv'e been to more 'big' HFS events than I
have. Do the merchants ever actually do any selling?
SkyeDS: sorry boss walked in
SkyeDS: I'm not in much position to see in that I'm usually doing
child duty
evile: no prob. you *are* at work, after all :)
SkyeDS: that's the kind of thing I would usually ask those I know and
trust to an extent
SkyeDS: and it isn't hard for me to just throw minimal effort into it.
evile: oh well. Unless I had some idea of what sells and how much
merchants are used to making at HFS events, AND knew it was OK with
park officials for me to do so...I probably won't. Unless, of course,
Rio says she wants to. And then I'll do it just so I can hang with
her :)
SkyeDS: take the stuff, not make a big production, put it out if
advantageous, leave it packed if not
SkyeDS: I certainly wouldn't put like faire effort into it
evile: I did a minimal setup at the austin pagan pride day a couple
years ago. It was still about an hour of unpacking & stuff, but not
bad. Maybe I could try something like that.
SkyeDS: you have much more stuff than me
evile: And it is all totally disorganized at the moment,
unfortunately.
SkyeDS: my needs just to read cards and sell two items = nothing like
your endeavors
evile: well, really, if there's no booth fee, I don't need to make
any $. But it would be nice. If only for gas $ or whatever.
evile: Ah well. I'll wait & see what Rio wants to do. I am thinking
of trying to make it to San Antonio at least once a month to visit
with my friends who are still there.
SkyeDS: am going to be slow th enext little while, I have major
project that requires me to be elsewhere on and off
evile: Okeydoke. Run & play :)
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