I just did something depressing.

I’m not the world’s most organized person. (Yes, I know I’m stating the obvious.) In my email I have a couple of folders for storing certain kinds of messages. The “InfoDump” folder, for instance, contains lots of useful tidbits of data… friends’ addresses, login information, that sort of thing.

And then there’s “Pending.” The point of that folder is, presumably, for me to place messages I can’t deal with Right This Minute but want to get to Real Soon Now.

I hadn’t looked in that folder for months until today. Oh, man. There’s a litany of people who have been expecting something back from me since, oh, last year. Damn. Chores undone. Whoops.

Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete.

I’m down to a dozen messages, now. These are what I deem at least remotely possible to get done and still have the doing mean anything. This doesn’t mean most (or any) of them will get done, mind you.

Great heavens above, but I’m a loser. In the terribly unlikely event that anyone who was expecting something from me in the last two years cares to come and read this: I’m very, very sorry.

Argh.

I went north again this past weekend to spend some time with that delightfully snarky woman I’m so attached to.

Actually, let me back up. I spent Thursday night over at the kids’ place since Wendi and Erica were out camping (I don’t remember if it was a school or church thing… hmm?) and Alex was otherwise going to be left alone. Can’t have a lonely Spud, can we? So he and I got to have some fun boy-bonding time (gaming and other geekery fueled by pizza). Half the time I’m over visiting at the apartment it’s as if I’m not there, since the kids are absorbed in what they’re doing, so it was nice to have an evening where I really got to interact with at least one of my beloved rugrats.

Anyway. The trip. I brought presents up, this time: A new video card and power supply for her compy. Once those were installed (not without some minor fuss… nothing’s ever easy, is it?) we also went and picked up this year’s gaming addiction of choice. While we were out anyway, we also did some clothes shopping. See, I’m sort of light on wearable shirts lately. It probably has something to do with the fact that I only shop once every few years. Go ahead and roll your eyes, folks.

We ended up at the mall, where I found several shirts I actually liked the fit and color of. Since someone put their foot down about who was paying for what, I also (later) picked up a new pair of shoes. (My beloved Rockports were finally becoming completely unwearable… not bad for two years or so of good use.)

The train was half an hour late getting out of Seattle, which meant we got to stand around in the cold and damp on the train platform at Tukwila. Bleah. We did get to see a rainbow, though, and that’s got to count for something. I mainly mention the train ride down on account of the in-trip movie, which I at first tried to ignore and then got sucked into far enough that for the first time I actually plugged my headphones in and listened.

De-Lovely is an odd, odd piece. It’s a fanciful biopic of Cole Porter as played by Kevin Kline (who you recognize mostly by voice since his looks are considerably altered for the role). The movie is stylized and occasionally nutty, but also at times bitterly poignant. If you’re at all interested in Jazz Age stylings, you should check this one out.

And now you’re up to date on my life. Exciting, ain’t it?

I’m still alive. I had a very nice weekend, nothing major has happened in the negative side of things recently, I just sort of fell offline for a few days.

Content to come, really. Honest. Would I lie to you? Well, to your face, anyway?

• On the bag containing my Radio Shack purchase today: “You’ve got ambition. We’ve got positions.” My immediate reaction: “So bend over and quit yer complainin’.”
• Happy Bunny can start conversations. A (quite pretty) young lady was walking by my table at the mall (I was noshing on some Arby’s for lunch after my stop at The Shack) and I noticed a Happy Bunny button on the strap of her shoulderbag, so I waved her over to get a better look. What did it read? “Wow you’re ugly.” We had a good laugh about that, and away she went.
• After years spent not making “mix tapes,” it turns out I still have the knack. The fifteen tracks of my personal soundtrack (listed a couple of entries down) fit almost perfectly on a CD. Damn, I’m good.
• My artistic endeavors are coming together nicely. I’ve found the right music for my next AMV (gee, it’s only been a couple of years since my last one), I’ve done the soundtrack thing, and my concept for NaNo is coming together nicely. It’s good to be on a roll for a change! (gee, it’s only been a couple of years since…)

And that’s the news that fits, for now.

There I was, trudging home from work at the end of another fun-filled day. I was really trudging, this time. Drained of energy and willpower, I made my way past That Rusting Mexican-style Food Establishment and… the craving hit.

“I must have a bacon double cheeseburger, plain!”

So I crossed the street to the Masculine Royalty-named Food Establishment and made my way inside. Upon coming into reading distance of the menu board, I halted and perused the items looking for what I wanted. It wasn’t there, however. What to do?

I asked the guy behind the counter, “Can I still get a double cheeseburger, even though it’s not up there?” He assured me that yes, indeed, I could do that very thing. I promptly rattled off my order for a double cheeseburger, plain, with bacon, and followed that up with a large order of fries and the traditional family french-fry dipping sauce. (That would be a chocolate milkshake, if you didn’t know.)

Here’s the fogey-stogey part of the tale: While I waited for my order, I pondered the fact that when I was Alexander’s age I could just order a “bacon double cheeseburger, plain” without anyone on either side of the counter batting an eyelash, and the fact that neither the “bacon double cheeseburger” or even the regular “double cheeseburger” was on the posted menu peeved me just a little.

You know your mind is getting older when you not only look back wistfully to the way things were, but tend to resent the way things are because they’ve changed. Bah! Humbug!

Still… it was a yummy little burger, just the way I remember it. Ahhh, bliss.

Hey, I did something good today! I finally stopped by that table set up outside my favorite morning deli and put in my change of address voter registration sheet! This means I’ll actually get my ballot!

Yes, I’m a lazy sod who put it off until mere days before the deadline. This surprises how many of you, exactly?

Anyway. The workday was sporadic and occasionally frustrating, but I was buoyed by memories of time spent in delightful company the night before and a whole lot of nifty anime and anime-related goodness throughout the day. (Look for a flurry of posts over at yonder anime site this week. Oh yeah.)

All in all, not a bad day. Sleep well, my friends.