I'm (____-)cured.

I had the hardest damned time getting to sleep last night without that lost Ambien, but I eventually gave in and took something less effective (antihistamine "sleeping pills"). I hate having to take the things, but my schedule gets so screwy. I like to be up during the day, because it's less lonely and there are places I can go and things I can do, but I like being up at night, because it's quiet and I can accomplish things and am generally left alone. And then I love sleep because it's wonderously comfortable and because my dreams are almost always interesting, in a freaky Henry Darger sort of way at least. But you can't have it all three ways, and the healthiest thing to do in this society and probably as a human being is to sleep all night and be awake all day. No waffling like tonight - going to bed really exhausted at 4AM and getting up around noon, which is a respectable (if not great) time to be getting up on a Saturday morning.

Anyway, I got a late xmas present of a manicure and pedicure today, at the salon where Lorra works. I'm now all nailed-out in OPI's new "Chocolate Shake-speare" (groan). This took most of the afternoon. Hit an Origins counter after that, over at the mall, to pick up some of their superlative NEVER A DULL MOMENT face scrub. I quit using it a year or so ago in FL, and adopted a cheaper Clean & Clear blackhead reducer, but my skin has gotten drier since I moved. I took a shower on Wednesday, and when I lightly wiped my face with a paper towel after I was done, little peels of skin just came rolling off. & it looks so dull most of the time - I really never considered that my skin type would change and go back to "combination" from being "oily." *** Anyway, Never A Dull Moment is kind of pricey, but it lasts, and since I've mostly quit wearing foundation and am thus spending less money on it, I don't feel toooooo bad. (really, I quit wearing foundation not only because I don't need it as much up here, but also because - and I am super-irritated about this - L'Oreal quit making Translucide.)

Hit Best Buy after that to spend some Reward Zone certificates that we got from buying this computer. I got a printer (some lower-end HP Photosmart model), which I've needed for months, and a Lupin the 3rd movie dvd that came with a keychain, & the momster bought some DVDs of her own. Then dinner @ Olive Garden, a stop at Borders (I got the latest Get Fuzzy book), and home. Not really much xmas money left aside from a few gift certificates, so I suppose today was my last day of splurgy. Now I'm going to sleep, and tomorrow? I suppose tomorrow I figure out if I can manage being at the storage compartment without wrecking my nails, because there are lots of things I would like to get out of storage ASAP.

*** but what IS expected and very very welcome about the move is that my health indeed seems to be improving. Instead of feeling too sick, tired, and discouraged to find a decent job, I'm feeling bored as hell and irritated for not having one. My inner overachiever is apparently feeling much better in the drier, cooler climate. "Honey!" I sob, embracing her in her stiff little Prada suit, "Honey, I thought you were dead!"

more affection in a handshake!

Watching Frida; it's better than I expected. Was going to go to a movie earlier tonight (well, it would be starting now), but I got sucked in. N-cat is watching it too. I'm not joking; there are certain movies he'll watch over and over.

Some of you may have noticed that I'm actually reading my friends pages this week. I had been really lax about doing it when packing and moving. I made a New Year's Resolution to try to read around 100 entries per day. That way, I'm not overwhelmed, but I do see a lot of what people are saying. I stopped reading a few very high-traffic communities. Right now the only ones I read that get a lot of posts are fruits and lotricons. 50bookchallenge is also quite busy. I had to let craftgrrl and hipdomestics go for the time being.

Anyway - some good links. Most probably stolen from MeFi or b0ingb0ing as usual.

Common-Place: a quasi-academic (good research but not completely bogged down with jargon) journal of American antiquarian (IE, pre-1900) studies. A lot of smart writing about race and class in America in the 18th and 19th centuries. Worth a look.

This Magical Book - Victorian/Edwardian pop-up, tunnel, star, etc books. These are still popular forms today, so check out some glorious antique examples.

List of Lists - All the lists (best books, movies, music, theater, etc) from all the publications.

The King William's College General Knowledge Quiz for 2003 - this must have been impossible before Google. Here's a page of suspected answers. I don't know if The Guardian has published the real answers yet.

Lords of the Rhymes - um. rap "straight outta hobbiton." this is very wrong.

NetHack - oh, the excitement and dread of being chased around by ASCII symbols!

Adriafil Yarn Co. - scary (yet free!) Italian knitting designs.