"That's the way we get by" has been stuck in my head this morning.

Well, the network's back. Good job. Though I was actually kind of looking forward to the forced non-'Net productivity (plus I had a brain-flash re: tag-bundling after I went to bed last night, so it's gonna be a challenge to force myself to do actual work rather than fannish del.icio.us).
[ Edit: Yeah, I say that, and I am indeed fiddling with del.ico.us rather than the non-'Net work I should be doing -- I did respond to all my e-mails, though -- but I am v. glad to have Internet, both for the entertainment factor and for the ability to coordinate plans. /edit]

I had a running dream this morning, which hasn't happened in ages. More triumphant than they usually are. (I'm always running away from something, and I'm usually inexplicably unable to move much at all, but this time I was fast and successful.) Though there was also a component of real worry, which is also in marked contrast to my lack of emotional connection in dreams the past couple weeks.

P.S. This lack of trash barrels is Not On, as far as I'm concerned. Where would one go to purchase one? Does Tags sell them?

[CAUMC] Wesley on money [2007-07-05]

Gary had been given three different topics for tonight (Trelawney&Eric are traveling) and didn't really know what material we'd covered, so it was kind of a play-it-by-ear night, but it wasn't bad -- even with me and Michelle being the only attendees. It was mostly a follow-up on last week, talking more about the ethics of making and spending money -- being thoughtful in the choices you make about how you earn your money (including how you invest your money, if you do) and how you spend your money, both on goods for yourself and in charitable giving.

Gary's going to Reconciling. I didn't get a chance to ask if anyone else from CAUMC is.

Oh, and he ordered pizza for dinner, so now I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Nice.

This holiday(+vacation) thing throws me off and makes it feel like Monday.

QUAINT as a dirty word?  Best thing I've heard all day.

In other news, Sharon introduced me to HopStop.com.  I really like that it tells you the stops that you pass along the way so you can get a feel for when your stop is approaching.  And they give you actual maps for when you're walking between stuff.  Though I'm amused that it doesn't seem to include the MBTA Commuter Rail (to get from my house to my parents' house, has me pick up the 34 from Forest Hills, which is fine except that that makes it twice the time it would take if I just picked up the Franklin Line from South Station.)

I love how the flist keeps mentioning playing Apples to Apples for the first time.

gloss linked to a a great article on Captain America, including how he represents the ideal of America rather than the sometimes ugly realities.  I'd never had any interest in the character, but this makes me feel much love for him (I particularly love the origin story).

Eric brought in The Lost Room for me -- which I keep forgetting about.  (He mentioned it once and I said I'd seen ads for it and it looked interesting; he said he owned it, so he'd lend it to me.)  What I really want is the Truman Capote book.

He and MaryAlice went to the beach on Monday, and he was talking about how he had gotten a little bit burnt but it would turn to tan.  Then he said something about how I probably burn like whoa (though he did not in fact use that phrase) since I'm so pale.  I was thrown by this 'cause I'm used to identifying as more my father's (v. tan) complexion than my mother's (v. pale).  So, people who've meatspace met me, how would you describe my complexion?

Back to the joy list:

Tag-bundling gives me great joy [del.icio.us].

A friend of mine e-mailed me to indicate that she had not in fact fallen off the face of the planet.  Huzzah.

A friend called me to tell me that he was thinking of me because (1) he had just watched the first season of How I Met Your Mother and (2) he had joined a a Jewish comic book discussion group.  Heart.

FUH was talking about the neat sliding doors on their house in Maine, and I said something about how one of these days I've gotta see this house I hear so much about (he's basically built it all himself) and he was like, "Yeah, definitely," and started mentioning dates.  Rock.  Unfortunately, it's August that would work for him, and I'm gonna be away (he told me to e-mail him to remind him about Prague as he went a few years ago and he'll see if he can remember any of the more out-of-the way nice places), but he's on leave next year, so there's still September or October.
(He was also talking about "Harry Potter day" -- i.e. the Book 7 release date -- as his younger daughter's a wee-bit obsessed, and I said I'd have to get the UK copy from my parents at some point and he said I might be able to borrow his daughter's copy as it'll arrive a few days after Release Date which is unacceptable, but she is still ordering it.)

I had a good gym session.  I felt really good on the elliptical, and was v. pleased with my time (1mi@10:55min, 2mi@22:07min, 2.69?mi@30min, 3.05mi post-5minute-cooldown), and then I did various weight machine stuff and some free weights.  Off of friendsfriends I've ILL-ed Smart Women Do Dumbbells and if that turns out to be useful I may purchase some hand weights for home use.

Where is all this rain I keep hearing about?  Yesterday it was sunny out my window for most of the day, and today all I got was humidity (cloudy, but still).  Though now that I'm finishing this entry I do hear it raining outside.