I bought a puzzle yesterday, well actually two puzzles. They're both this "Charles Wysocki's Americana" kind which show some pastoral American scene done in a particular cozy style. I used to do them all the time with my aunt, Lovey, when I was younger. Scared me when I realized that was over 10 years ago. While I was doing it I realized that I had actually done this particular puzzle before. I didn't notice until I was doing the first section (after the edges) and remembered doing the exact same thing, in the exact same order. I like to think I'm a much different person now than ten years ago but it points to the fact that there's this certain core you who will always do certain things certain ways. Like washing the left side of your chest first in the shower, or eating the ice cream from the sides in, or putting on both socks and then both shoes (rather than one sock/one shoe, other sock/other shoe). Guess it must be genetic, huh? We're all born either wadders or rollers and there aint a damn thing we can do about it.

Last night:


This morning:


And don't you worry, I'll keep you updated on the progress!

and he's doing pretty good. He had an interview for a new (better) job on Monday, though the job he does now is kinda neat. He makes holographic pictures. I'm still trying to grasp exactly what this means. I know it's a piece of glass that's etched with lasers somehow. I think then that you see the picture embedded therein, kinda like mother mary. I guess it looks really cool when backlit.

I just finished watching Trainspotting so I keep feeling like I'm talking with a Scottish brogue. But of course that's all in my head. God, why must I always be on the heroin? Shite!!!

Anyways, father is doing well. We had a very good conversation, which is not as easy as it seems. You see, both of us are somewhat uncommunicative, especially when it comes to feelings and such. I got it from him, what can I say. So we play this fun game of telephone tag always, where he calls me and I listen to the message and then every day I think about how I should just call him. This was maybe a record cause it only took a little over a week for me to actually do it. My parents just got divorced a couple years ago now, and it is still a bit strange for all of us. It actually made my father want to reach out to me, a positive side effect. He just started calling one day out of the blue and wanted to talk to me. Just talk. Like I said before, growing up we didn't have all that much to say to each other. He told me to do stuff, I told him I needed stuff done. That kind of thing. So when he called me it really touched me (and truthfully kinda freaked me out). Now I have to say that he's the one putting more effort into it, and I definately appreciate what an effort it is.

Thanks dad. For trying to reach out to the child who needs to learn to reach out. You are appreciated.

Basra's new playmate, name as yet undecided, is the teensy-weeniest little cutey-patutey I have ever laid eyes on.

says the MPAA.

They've just shut down another bit-torrent site, Lokitorrent and have put a scary picture and warning there. They say they have the right to shut down peer-to-peer networks because some of the people using the networks are downloading movies. Now downloading movies is not the only use of these types of programs. You can also download porn, music (both commercial and non), TV programs, foreign stuff, home movies, whatever. It doesn't seem right to close down a whole network just because some of the people are abusing it. We don't shut down I-90 when the cops nab a couple speeders. We punish the specific people and punish them for their own abuse of our transportation network. But the MPAA has the muscle (and the lawyers) and the programmers running these networks have virtually nil so the destruction continues.

Real-life drama on the elmwoodstrip.

On my way to the bagel store from the library I passed by Spot and noticed an odd sight. A woman was sitting on the bench apparently unconscious while a man took her pulse and another looked on. No one seemed to be panicking so I thought it must be under control and kept walking to Manhattan Bagel (*). After completing my purchase, I walked back and saw that the woman was now flat on her back on the ground and the guy who had been taking her pulse was on his knees delivering CPR. Next came the sirens and then the firemen, who hooked her up to some oxygen. Soon the ambulance came and they whisked her away. All in a matter of minutes.

As they were loading her up another guy came over and told me, "It was heroin." As I looked askance at him he says, "yeah, guess she did it in the bathroom and overdosed." That's just insanity. First off she didn't "look" like a heroin addict, just your regular looking, late-twenties, slightly overweight, mousy brown hair type of girl. Second off, who the heck does heroin at spot coffee? WTF, mates? The one other point that could've jived with this theory is that the guy with her (not the guy doing anything productive like taking a pulse, who I found out from another woman was a doctor who pulled over in the nick of time to drag her back to life) said to the paramedics that he knew her but that they weren't friends. Maybe the bunk dealer? Maybe we'll here more tonight at 6:00 from the local news.

• didn't want to put this in my dramatic story, but Manhattan bagels is having a buy a dozen get half a dozen free sale today. 19 bagels for $5.99. Pretty good deal, though a lot of bagels.