Smooth Jazz

(Watercolors)

All that will make sense only if you have DirecTV and pay any attention to the music channels. We have about 70 channels, from XM. This has been playing for a couple of hours now--it's driving me nuts!

[OK, I bitched: we're now listening to Hui 'Ohana singing "Kahealani" on World Zone. hee hee hee]

So I'm actually updating some stuff. That's my intention, not discussing music channels. But the titles are just good (so's the music).

[Sweet Honey in the Rock, "Denko"]

Right:

• We have insurance again.
• Beast has a hotel room at his conference. I messed up; it was only the sleeping arrangements that got messed up; the meeting room is fine. The bad news is that he's at a separate hotel from where the meetings will be held; he's actually at a timeshare resort, and he's NOT happy about it.
• I went to the grocery store and bought less than $20 worth of groceries, instead of going to Sam's Club and dropping $100.
• The cab of the truck is emptied of CDs and garbage.
• I watched "The Sound of Music" with the commentary track on. As I was watching, I realized that I haven't seen the movie properly in about 20 years. There were whole bits I'd forgotten. Then there were the bits I haven't forgotten; they're just as bad as ever.
• The kitchen counters are clean(er)
• Beast is packed for tomorrow. He's taking his computer bag, a small canvas bag, and a rolling bag that will fit under an airplane seat. For four days. Amazing, eh?

[Buffy Sainte-Marie? (no identification), "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"]

Sparky and Beast are putting the DNA model together downstairs. Here's the commentary I can hear above Buffy (or whoever it is):

"Dad STOP IT! That hurts! STOP IT!!!!!"
"Well, then PICK IT UP right."
"Ouch, ok."
"Duh, don't do that. It'll hurt."
"Oh, THANKS! Thanks a LOT, Dad."

[Fabula "Bio Ritmo"]

You have to imagine that dialog at 100 decibels directly underneath me. Lots of smacking and thumping sounds (staples and tools dropping?).

Meanwhile, I'm sitting by the guinea pigs. Cinnamon is still losing weight. I warned Sparky again that he may very well not be long for the world. He grinds his teeth kind of obsessively now too. And Cinnamon, who used to be quite a lot heftier than Buddy, now feels like half Buddy's weight. Damn.

[Daby Balde "Daby Balde"]

The model is done, except for some touchup painting. Time for Sudoku for Beast. And, well, me too. We each got a Sudoku calendar for Christmas (from each other, unknowingly) and he has the one in the paper to do too. I will be doing a couple of online puzzles.

[Outback, "An Dro Nevez"]

And that's the excitement that is our lives this evening as we digest our stroganoff.