(no subject)

I have a giant orchid plant on my desk. It makes me feel like Archie Goodwin.

One of our staff received the enormous, glorious, kind of...postmodern orchid yesterday, but she's out of the office for the next ten days. While I waited for her to get back to me, I took bets with myself. Was it for her birthday? Is she getting promoted? Engagement? Possibly an infidelity was discovered?

She finally called me back and had me read the card to her over the phone, so thank god it wasn't the denouement of an affair gone wrong. It was just a vendor who wants her business. I want vendors who send me orchids when they want my business! Nobody ever sends me orchids.

So I suggested casually that I could open the plastic wrapped around it and take care of it for her, and she said "Oh, I don't want to make you do that..." and I said NO REALLY IT IS NO PROBLEM. I will water it by placing ice cubes on the soil, as many people have advised me to do, and tell it how pretty it is at least twice a day.

So I get to keep the orchid at least until she gets back. I'm going to name it Nero.

(no subject)

I really should set some kind of schedule for posting these, but I'm content to simply let them fly whenever it amuses me to do so.

The living is easy in ( A Cheaper World. )

(no subject)

This week's reading, after my spree with Bret Ellis, was "The Gardner Heist" by Ulrich Boser. For me it was a sort-of companion to Robert Wittman's "Priceless", which was a memoir that included accounts of Wittman's unsuccessful attempts to recover the art stolen in the Gardner Museum heist in 1990.

( The Gardner Heist by Ulrich Boser )

Final Verdict: The book ended up being difficult for me to get through, because it wandered a lot, but I suspect someone either more invested in or less knowledgable about the heist might find it more interesting. It is informative; if you want the facts on the heist it's a good book to go to. And there's other interesting art trivia too -- I didn't know the most frequently stolen painting in the world is Rembrandt's "Jacob de Gheyn III" which is unlikely, given it's a pretty mellow painting. Then again there is something weirdly compelling about the balance of light and black, so who knows.

I've been to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, once, in 1999; it's a lovely if haphazard place, and at the time I was poor enough that the cost of admission made me appreciate the art all the more. I saw the empty Dutch Room frames, though I didn't understand the full significance of them at the time, and was more interested in some of the letters Gardner had on display from famous literary figures. The book did make me all nostalgic for Boston, especially since now I'm in a position to afford admission again.

Lots of reading ahead of me, now; I have two ebooks (a Lesbian Steampunk Anthology and (re)Visions: Alice) to peruse, plus my usual stash from the library. I knock one book down, two more pop up...

(no subject)

So I told Coworker Crush today that I'm leaving my job, and she pretended to cry in abandonment and then said "At least we know you'll be near."

Which made me grin stupidly and not be very witty, but whatever.

Not to jump the gun, but supposedly I sign the paperwork on Tuesday once HR pulls its thumb out of its ass, so I think it's appropriate to hold a CAFE JOB FAIR this weekend.

This is your warning! Dust off your resumes, check if the company you work for is hiring, prepare to mentor the shit out of people who might need it.

CAFE JOB FAIR TOMORROW 10AM CENTRAL TIME. BE THERE OR BE SOMEWHERE ELSE!

(no subject)

I am currently unwinding from the day by watching this week's Suits. A few days ago I posted a fic where Mike talks about the rule of Don't Bike Angry.

Tonight's episode:

Harvey: Cab? Someone steal your bike?
Mike: I have a lot on my mind. It's a safety issue.

Given my Oh Snap Vindicated tag, and between The Proper Way To Handle Nazi Loot and Don't Bike Angry, I'm likely just really good at extrapolation. But at this point I can't discount the possibility that I might actually be writing for these shows in my sleep. It would explain why I'm so damn tired all the time.

I wonder where I pick up my royalty checks?

Ooh! I could use them to play the stock market!


Actually my 401k did really well last year with a heavy stock load and a small bonds reserve.

I'd remark on how grownup the preceding sentence sounds, but my strategy is to pretend it's not real money, which is not very adult of me.