I really miss you guys . . .

A Contest by Simon C. Larter

The SHTMCIHHAHTGSA contest.

I Climbed A Mountain

This morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m. even though I've not had much sleep the past couple of nights. At 6 a.m. two of my classmates knocked on our door. After finding out that none of the guys we're rooming with wanted to "go for a walk," as they put it, one of them asked me.

"Sure!" I said, a little surprised, as The Guys and I don't really hang out all that much.

I didn't know what I was getting into. And I have to preface this by saying I really should have known better because one of them is pretty much the Gandalf in our group: when he's on board, you literally never know what will happen.

The "walk" turned out to be a climb up two-thirds of a mountain. Not a foothill. A mountain. We reached an electricity tower far, far away. I felt like Bilbo in The Hobbit. The last third (which looked more like half) contains the HOLLYWOOD sign, which I think is around on the other side. But you gotta get up to the very top.

I had to stop and take breaks because I'm so out of shape, but they were both really patient. At one point, I stopped and asked if maybe they were coming down the same way they could just pick me up on the way back down?

"Naw, there's a lift. It'll take us down," said one of them.

A few minutes later, as we climbed closer to the tower, I said, "There's no lift, is there?"

He laughed and shook his head.

I would have killed him, and could have gotten away with it, if it weren't for the stitch in my side. I mean, no one would have found him for days. But he knew that would keep me going, and it did.

I bitched and moaned the whole way, but you know, I was so glad I made it to our goal. The whole day has been infused with a feeling of real accomplishment. Afterwards, I could have fought Jason Statham and won. It was awesome and I can't wait to do it again. Although next time I'll have my hair in a ponytail and maybe better shoes. And jeans.

Road Trip: Petrified Forest, Volume 1

Below are a few shots I got from the Petrified Forest in Arizona.











More pics coming as I get them downloaded!

Miniscule, Not Very Detailed Update

Made it into L.A. on Saturday. Drive was fun and went well. Pics coming soon!

Meanwhile, we've hit the ground running with our classes and our internships.

ooh ooh ooh - almost forgot

I don't really believe books should be free, but I found this AWESOME site with FREE audiobooks. Mostly it's classics and nonfiction, but I found things I've been wanting to read that I just haven't had time for. (Yes, I really do want to read all six volumes of THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.) All of the books appear to be in the public domain.

Because it's all done on a volunteer basis, some of the books are not as successful as others. (RAT CATCHER sounds like it's read in an electronic voice, with the reader joining sentences together and putting inflections in all the wrong places.) Pay attention to the starred books - those are usually keepers. I've downloaded more than I should, really.

The best thing about the site, though, is how easy it is to download the mp3 files. All you have to do is click on the book of your choice and then the link for the zip file and voila! you have your audiobook. (Hint: Dickens's OUR MUTUAL FRIEND is read by a wonderful reader.) For someone who can't afford audiobooks and has a ton of classics to read, this is a godsend.

This makes my trip that much more exciting!

Me and My Big Move and Even Bigger Opinions

OMG I have spent SO much money preparing for this move. But I needed pretty much everything: a car, new business-y clothes, a new GPS for those "L.A. is one big suburb or a state of mind" directions, a Blackberry so I can read captions during phone calls especially in noisy environments, software updates, and luggage. I've scrimped as much as possible, but I'm still running low enough on funds that I'm getting a little worried that I'll cut into my reserves set aside for the apartment, which I may have to furnish.

The thesis is coming along, but slooooower than I'd like. But I think I'm getting the right tone and sentiment for it. So that's good.

Meanwhile I'm pretty pissed off about this oil spill thing. I have to tell myself BP has gotta be doing everything it can to stop the leak and contain the damage, but the news gets worse every day. Not to mention, one of the execs will say something unbelievably clueless like, "I want my life back." ???? Or President Obama will saying he's not spoken to Tony Hayward. What? Why??? You gotta do that, sir. Just MHO.

Update II

Bevie's family contacted Fairyhedgehog and confirmed they received the money, so that's a weight off my shoulders. Thanks again to everyone who donated.

Am mostly moved in to my folks for the next three weeks. Going to be busy with my thesis. I've bought a car from a friend for cheap, alleviating some worry about buying a new car and keeping up the payments. I also have a new office chair, which is proving to be much better for my back and less fatiguing than the wooden chair I used for two years in school.

Okay. Thesis time.

Update

I managed to get the money order off to Bevie's family . . . Monday. Probably should have taken Lisa up on that extension, but I tried to get it out Friday. On my way to the Post Office I received an e-mail from my professor about some last-minute deadlines, so I had to turn around and go home (skipping a lesson to boot) and finish those up.

I went ahead and made the money order for an even $500, and sent it via Priority Mail along with insurance and delivery notification. According to the tracking site, the package was delivered to its destination, but we've not yet received a confirmation from Bevie's family whether they received the money.

In other news, I'm in the last few stages of moving. Or I should be, anyway. Too much to do and too little time. Also feeling really nostalgic and lamenting the lack of time I have to visit old haunts and check out new places in Chicago I've not had a chance to visit. Like the Lyric Opera, for example.

Sigh. There's never enough time.

Together . . .

. . . we raised just shy of $500 ($498.08) to help Bevie's family. The button is now down. To all who donated, THANK YOU - especially those who donated and didn't comment. You didn't get a thank you yet - until now. : )

I'm off to get the money order!

The Help Bevie's Family Deadline

Hey folks! If you've not yet made a donation, you have roughly 48 hours to make it. I'll be closing down the donation button at 2:00 p.m. U.S.A. Central Time ("Chicago time"). I need to do that in order to have enough time to get the money order and mail it out to Bevie's family. Thanks!

EDIT:If you stray over here after the deadline and still want to make a donation, Fairyhedgehog or I would be happy to send your e-mail address along to Bevie's family. Thanks for thinking of that, Fairy!

Help Bevie's Family

Bevie often spoke at length about his financial woes, which were no doubt a result of his health issues. It can't be any easier for his family now. With their permission, Fairyhedgehog and I have set up a Paypal donation button. We had to wait a couple of days to work out the details*, but it's up now (see left). We'll have the button up for a week, then whatever's there I will send to Bevie's wife. Please help if you can. I'm matching the first $35 in donations.

*The money will deposited into my bank account, and I will issue a money order to Bevie's wife, as it was agreed that this is what would be most helpful to them.

To Infinity . . . And Beyond

We're almost at the end. We're in the last week of school. I'm overcome with nostalgia and excitement. Still have a lot to do, but once I get these assignments knocked out of the way, it will be packing, finding a car (that's going to be the toughest part), and all the other stuff that goes with ending school. We're getting info on our internships, and it's exciting.

I've been checking out apartments in the L.A. area, and they're about what you would pay in Chicago. Only I like Chicago's apartments much better, what with all the dark wood and Greek-style architecture. I'm finding L.A. has its charms—just not in the apartments for the price I can pay. They look like carpeted prison cells. You get the one window with the venetian blinds. In some cases the stove and refrigerator are listed as amenities. As in optional.

Oh yeah, and then I have to find work. Checking out the want ads and the temp agencies.

Lucky

Lucky is a cat whose paw and tail were cut off by some cruel individual who shall remain nameless . . . mostly because Lucky can't name the person who did this to him.

He was found by Bin, and yesterday she took him to the vet to be examined and treated. She posted pics, but I'm only going to link the post to pics of him after he was treated. If you want the other pics you'll have to find them on the blog yourself.

He's now (it's a he, I think!) resting semi-comfortably, and I'm posting this because Bin is accepting donations for his vet care (she didn't ask me to repost; I'm just doing it.) He's probably going to need a lot of it over the coming months. You can donate here.

Stop by Old Kitty's blog and thank her for posting. Her post instigated the donations.

Grammar Nerd

I cribbed this from Janet Reid's blog. It's hilarious.