Linked Post

Natasha Fondren wrote a great post on the Glenn Beck/Sarah Palin rally. Not only that, but she's handled the critics very politely, which I admire.

Ghost Story Recs

I've been dying for some good old-fashioned European and/or New England ghost stories. Any recs???

ETA: I lucked across a cheap anthology of Victorian ghost stories at Half Price Books. Unfortunately, I have not had time to start it. Sigh.

So I've Joined . . .

. . . the 2010 McKoala Challenge. Looking forward to it, though I've been warned those claws are razor sharp.

Who Designs These Things?!

Why is it that women's dress shoes only become tortuous instruments of pain after purchase? They can be totally comfortable in the store, but as soon as you buy them, you walk two blocks and the damn things are cutting into your heels and making your pants all bloody. WTF?!

I drove to Chicago yesterday for an interview and decided on a pair of flats that seemed comfortable for walking. Wrong. After a block or so they rubbed against my heels and took off a bunch of skin. The right one actually cut into my heel. It's a good thing I'm familiar with downtown Chicago and didn't get too lost. I managed to find a Starbucks across the street from where I was to interview and stopped and sat down. At that point it wasn't too bad.

But here's what I learned: When your feet hurt, it's actually worse after you rest. After my 45-minute soiree, I stood up and managed to make it across the street, although by then I was starting to limp. I got to the agency, filled out my paperwork, took a survey, all the while getting up and down. I managed, through pride, to keep everything to a minor limp. Those that saw me for the first time might have thought I once suffered a minor bout of polio. No biggie.

But by the time I got back to my car, I knew I was gonna have to either find a different pair of shoes or drive barefoot. At first I drove with the shoes on, since I drive a stick. I was afraid if I drove barefoot I might miss the clutch or something. But even driving with the shoes on was painful. I managed to find a Walgreens about halfway home. By that time I'd already stopped for gas and went to the bathroom, and was literally hobbling. Alas, Walgreens has moved its merchandise to its Fall season, and had backpacks instead of flip flops. Screw it, I thought, cursing the person who designed my shoes. I'm driving barefoot. Whoever designed these things should be made to walk two miles down Michigan Avenue in a pair of these things. Preferably a pair two sizes too small.

So I drove barefoot. It was pretty comfortable, actually, besides the bleeding heels.

Home

Home for a week now. Feeling lost in a sea of possibilities. L.A. is beginning to feel like a mirage. I miss the desert.

On the other hand I've developed a new appreciation for the cheap housing prices in Indiana, and I'm seriously considering buying a house once I land a job. The job will have to be an offsite position, unless I make some good contacts here and find something that isn't advertised. But the idea of an offsite position appeals to me. So we'll see how that works out.

Otherwise I'm just still tired. Haven't wanted to do much but read and take baths. Yet, I must carry on.

Done

Well, school is all over, and I'm no longer in L.A. I wanted to stay, but no apartment buildings or complexes had anything open for at least two weeks at a price I could afford - except for one in a bad part of town that was literally the size of a closet. I couldn't see staying and wasting a bunch of money on hotels, and I didn't feel comfortable asking anyone if I could sleep on their couch for two weeks or more. There was one place that was a room in a woman's house, but . . . I just really wanted to get my own place. I may take up Sarah on her suggestion that I buy a little house in the mountains when I go back. So . . .

I'm back in Indiana. I am utterly wiped out and need some time to rest and regroup. Sarah, I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to meet, but it will happen! I loved L.A. and got a great vibe there. It wasn't at all like the horror stories I've heard. A guy even offered me a tire gauge at a gas station while we were respectively filling up our tires and vacuuming our cars. Never experienced that in a big city before.

AND I got hit on pretty much wherever I went. So naturally I want to go back.