hey, i only get to use my "happy birthday bowie" tag one day a year. and i missed it last year.

so i went to a "Primary Care" clinic-type place today. and i mean, it was clean and legit and all, but i'm somewhat nonplussed with the whole experience. ok, i didn't expect to skip out of there singing, but... first and foremost, the doctor was like, "well, i don't see anything, but here's a prescription anyway." so i still don't know what is wrong with me, but hey hopefully whatever it is/n't will get better soon. but after the examination, he was done and i was sent to billing. hello? i have questions here. i would like to discuss this. he's at least supposed to go back over everything, including explaining the medication, how to use it, what to expect, and fucking ASK ME IF I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

was my GP back in maine just absolutely stellar, or am i right to expect and demand more comprehensive attention from a doctor? for some reason, i feel like i shouldn't stick up for myself because i don't have insurance. when did i buy into the bogus notion that not having health insurance makes me a second-class citizen? i still paid for their services--in fact, since i am paying for it ALL out-of-pocket, doesn't that give me more of a right to be assertive?

i can't wait to have health insurance.

well so. my first week at the new job is more than half over. i still don't know everything, and i'm still nervous, and i'm still constantly looking for outside validation (that i don't know that i'll get). but. i think i might be getting the hang of it. my biggest fear (aside the fear of being hit with a completely unforeseen curveball) is that i'll settle in and get comfortable, only to find i've been doing it all wrong from the get-go. or not doing enough. or that something will go wrong with the computer--our whole postage system is through there, and while i can operate InstaPostage and DAZzle just fine right now, i don't actually understand it, and would be totally fucked up the ass if something went really wrong.

there's also some incredible anxiety on my part about the whole Amazon marketplace. it makes me really nervous to know that, although it is my obligation to process and ship orders within 2 business days of receiving them, sometimes i NEED to wait until i've heard back from a customer before i can complete the order. maybe the merch is slightly different than how it was listed, or maybe there's a problem with the address they provided. so i'm not going to ship the stuff out until i've heard back from them--but what if they then give negative feedback or--even worse--file a claim against me?! a vendor can only have 5 claims filed against them before their account is deleted. omg--what the fuck would happen then? and there's already 1 claim on the record--granted, it wasn't during my tenure. and i suppose that's pretty good, considering we've been around for 2 years and have a 99% approval rating. still. if you order from Amazon, please do 2 things: 1) when you get an email from the vendor, READ IT. you might think it's just an automated response telling you your purchase is in the mail, but it might actually be a query that demands your attention; and 2) if you receive good service from a vendor, leave positive feedback. this does not mean it has to be stellar-delivery-to-your-front-door-with-a-smile service. but as long as nothing goes wrong, credit them. at the very least, do not leave negative feedback unless you totally get screwed.

ok, spiel over. also: if you're on MySpace, (and especially if you have any ATL connection whatsoever), you should add Criminal Records. not just because i work there, but because I AM their MySpace. ok, it's not totally me all the time, but for the most part, yeah, it is. or will be. i'm also thinking of doing something with facebook. they supposedly had an account at one point that they deleted or suspended or something, but i'm very much about starting that shit all over and making it awesome. that is, if i don't get fired. anyway,  keep your eyes peeled.

ok so this is, like, 5 months old, but i just saw it for the first time and it made my morning.



i <3 you Rex the Dog, but i think Punk Monkey steals the show.

so...

despite the fact that tomatoes are a deadly nightshade, and therefore condoned by neither macrobiotic nor Ayurvedic dietary guidelines...

it is the right season, and the CDC has said that tomatoes are safe to eat again, so....should i make gazpacho or not?

Poll #1227333 let's call the whole thing off
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7

should i make gazpacho?

Eddie Izzard tonight--yay!

happy birthday, dehumidifier



one day, i'll have a real job and won't be able to fill my time with collages made of cupcakes, kitties, and strappy shoes. but until then, get ready to see a lot more of these.

this might only interest the few unfortunate souls who know Hope Fox, but....

Hope Fox



and Skinny Cow



is anyone else totally creeped out by a sexified, anorexic cow mascot?

HIPSTER GIRL!



WHO'S GOT THE BLOW?

real name: madison "maddie" dewitt
occupation: art student at Pratt, heiress to the dewitt fortune
super powers: inhuman tolerance for illict substances; impervious to bad performance art, your friend's shitty band, and bullets; has rent-controlled apartment; looks good in leggings; can conjure PBR
weaknesses: powers wane above 14th street; coke bloat
allies: Ashley Olsen, Zooey Deschanel
rivals: Mary-Kate Olsen, Lydia Hearst
enemy: La Lohan

well. today is the one year anniversary of my move to Georgia.

russ and i were having a serious teen beat tiger bop moment the other day, trying to figure out who we prefer: brett or jemaine.


vs.

the conversation (or at least MY side of the conversation) went something like this...

i think brett is cuter...BUT...jemaine's probably funnier? then again, brett's got facial hair, and that's gross. but jemaine's got serious side burns, and that's gross too. but let's face it: jemaine's fatter. BUT his Bowie impression is better...like, SPOT ON.

anyone want to weigh in on this? i'd make this a poll, but then i'd have to vote in order to see the results, and I JUST CAN'T MAKE UP MY MIND.

are you ever lying in bed going "what the fuck IS that song, and how did i JUST remember it?," and then you find out it's "Sugar on My Tongue" by the Talking Heads, and you realize you don't have it on your iTunes, and you probably haven't even heard it for 6 or 7 years? yea, that just happened to me.

it's taken me awhile to place this...

but was Droopy Dog SUPPOSED to sound like Truman Capote? who pre-dates whom?



EDIT---

ok, i just wikipedia'd it, and Droopy totally came first (as i suspected). but isn't that just weird?

i love this cover.



and the book's pretty good so far, too.

katie > tracy chevalier

seriously, what a bitch. if anyone was thinking of buying a tracy chevalier book, don't.

photography by vicki (greekdiner)

there are better things for your apartment to smell like (like flowers, or money), but there is perhaps nothing nicer for your apartment to smell like than freshly baked cardamom sugar cookies.

as i near the end of my fifth knitting project of the season, i'm getting ready to start on something i've been meaning to make for a very, very long time: a Gryffindor scarf. i've already got the yarn and everything, but if you've been following the movies at all, you've probably noticed that there are actually two different scarves to choose from.

the old:


or

the new:


and far be it from me to make a decision by myself...

Poll #1130965 what's the matter, harry?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 12

which scarf pattern?

looks like russ' infamous chicken-skin sandwich might get famous after all.

mental floss had a weekend challenge recently that asked for the weirdest/grossest sandwiches that their readers would cop to enjoying. russ submitted his now signature combination, and it's made it to the final round! (my submission, the grilled peanut butter and pickle sandwich, did not make it but w/e).

everyone one go vote for him! he's letter "i."

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/11722

why aren't more of Natsuo Kirino's books translated into english? she's so fucking good. she's got more balls than most of the male writers out there today.

i'm so glad i found this guy again.