"you do look beautifully put together."

It was nice to hear, especially since I was wearing black velour sweatpants and flipflops, and had barely decided to wear makeup yesterday, crappy as I was feeling.

Most of the time my mother regards me as awfully vain for wanting to bathe every day and wear makeup when I go out: it disrupts her schedule. It takes too long.

But on a day I've invested nearly nothing in my appearance, it's a nice surprise when she says a thing like that.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 10:56 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 96 words, total size 1 kb.

Errands galore, and tonight is writer's group—so I need to crank out a little bit of fiction. Therefore, you may not hear too much from me until I get that 11:00 p.m. energy surge and check in to obsess about Some. Urgent. New. Thing.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 10:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 50 words, total size 1 kb.

Lunch with my mother. I talked mostly about myself. We came up with theories about my stomach problems, including:

1) inflammation of my appendix, with fun times ahead of me;

2) an ulcer;

3) some exotic cancer (perhaps the first of its type);

4) pain resulting from alien abduction and resulting abdominal probe (up-to-date Martians have appently gotten bored with the lower intestines and are moving up the old digestive system);

5) "Welcome to middle-age, Babe: you're fat and you get tummy aches. Deal."

Posted by: Attila Girl at 08:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 88 words, total size 1 kb.

Wait; that sounded wrong. I was convinced it was the flu until I failed to get any body aches. So my symptoms are occasional vague feelings of nausea and gassiness, along with:

-dizzy spells every 48 hours or so;

-near-constant discomfort all along the front of my torso, from right below my boobs nearly down to my pelvis;

-bloating (e.g., I'm wearing sweatpants because anything with a waistband is uncomfortable).

Posted by: Attila Girl at 08:24 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 80 words, total size 1 kb.

. . . with the GOP. He has a few points, of course. And, as usual, his writing is exquisite.

Ultimately he is wrong in his conclusions, and very right in a couple of his premises.

Via Feisty Republican Whore, who alerted the Cotillion via e-mail. Arguments ensued about: 1) the merits of Jeff's arguments; 2) the prevalence of his state of mind; and 3) which among us is entitled to call him "my Jeffypoo." (Several, it turns out. Men are such sluts.)

Posted by: Attila Girl at 11:22 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 87 words, total size 1 kb.

Probably an obscure symptom of peri-menopause, because of the way the stomach upset comes and goes. It's likely that my hormones have gone kerflooey, and taken my erstwhile iron-clad constitution with 'em. Oh, well: some people live like this their entire lives.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 10:41 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 58 words, total size 1 kb.

This is the first time in some time I've run out of business cards at an event like this. And the first time I've had cocktail-hour chit-chat turn into a quasi-interview right on the spot.

I'm also hearing from potential clients through other means of networking. It looks like the client I had to "release" during the mistake-job era has already been made up for. And, of course, I could end up getting that one back anyway.

Plus, a lot of the "slow payers" are sending me checks I'd given up hope on. So not only do I have great prospects—I'm not nearly as cash-poor right now as I thought I'd be.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 10:38 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 124 words, total size 1 kb.

. . . to the Flacks and Hacks party. I have to be the extraverted Joy. How tiresome.

But I need business cards—they're like oxygen to me—so off I go.

I haven't yet fully recovered from last week's mini-flu/upset stomach (exacerbated by the waiting-to-be-fired thing on Friday), so no gin for me, either. Strictly tonic and lime.

On the other hand, these things are always held in fascinating places: cute bars discovered by the folks at Media Bistro. It's generally worth going for that alone.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 04:17 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 89 words, total size 1 kb.

. . . of managers who restrict access to the web, making any quick research question a long, involved process that entails getting permission to enter ordinary URLs on your browser.

There's more to managing, he suggests, than simply making sure your employees look busy. Well. One would think. Of course, there are some extraordinarily poor managers out there.

I know my page views go up during the week, and simply assume that my posts go particularly well with a cup of coffee and a cheese Danish—or whatever people are having on their mid-morning breaks these days.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 10:08 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 105 words, total size 1 kb.

. . . interview Mary Cheney about her new book, Now It's My Turn.

Nice to see her abandon the low-profile approach I've always admired, yet been somewhat frustrated by. I've been so curious about her story.

Glenn:

Unlike some people, we actually spend most of our time talking about the non-gay parts! And, shockingly, that's actually most of the book. Who knew?

Posted by: Attila Girl at 06:00 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 71 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Tripling productivity with duplicate postings! Why didn't I think of that? You're a genius!

Posted by: Darrell at May 22, 2006 07:51 PM (Ua6ew)

2 What are you talking about

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 23, 2006 11:48 PM (4IuF2)

3 The TRUTH is out there!

Posted by: Darrell at May 24, 2006 07:09 AM (o/8QX)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

End of July/beginning of August.

I'll be travelling alone, so I'll consider any money-saving tips that don't involve either sharing a room or giving up internet access.

Why? Well, you know: it's hard to drop by if you aren't in the neighborhood. And how else would I see my friends?

Posted by: Attila Girl at 02:47 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 52 words, total size 1 kb.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. We owe you so much. Happy birthday.

(And thank you Google, for letting me know. But that doesn't mean I'm not still mad. "I hate myself for lovin' you.")

Posted by: Attila Girl at 10:07 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 37 words, total size 1 kb.

"cushion the impact as you sink like a stone?"

Whatever, by the way, happened to Crowded House?

I loved that song: after all, Americans do run to excess on many matters. I maintain that we are amateurs when it comes to drinking (our Skid Row bums, for example, cannot out-drink Europeans, Aussies or Kiwis), but other than that we're exuberant bundles of excess.

We overeat, overwork and overplan.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 07:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 92 words, total size 1 kb.

. . . that I stop at horse crossings, but only slow down for stop signs.

I've explained that I can tell when there's another vehicle at a stop sign, and when there is not. But a stop sign in and of itself is very unlikely to jump out into the street in front of my car, causing a collision.

Whereas large mammals (horses, deer, humans) will do that every now and again.

He appears unconvinced. Which leads me to believe the Sheriff's deputies will likewise be a bit skeptical, should any of them observe my unorthodox approach . . .

Posted by: Attila Girl at 11:40 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 109 words, total size 1 kb.

One of them made a whistling noise the reminded me of a tea kettle just as the water is beginning to simmer.

Another produces a sound very like a dial tone, but louder—as if through a speaker phone.

I've lived up here for nine and a half years, and have never learned the names of our flora and fauna. (Can one say "fauna" WRT birds? Someone check for me.)

Posted by: Attila Girl at 11:35 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 83 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Flora are plants and fauna are animals. Birds are animals. So, yes, birds are part of your area's fauna. (So are fish. For that matter, so are you... )

Posted by: Kathy K at May 21, 2006 01:26 PM (Bm7x5)

2 Here's a good list--http://www.folar.org/information.birds.html I think tits, of all varieties, are the most common-at least from my observation. Especially at industry events like the Academy Awards. Thanks for the hanging softball!

Posted by: Darrell at May 21, 2006 01:50 PM (7KEHB)

3 ba-du-PAH!

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 21, 2006 04:20 PM (4IuF2)

4 Dziękuję bardzo! Jesteś tak miły, Attila Girl! If you weren't speaking Polish, ignore this comment! Or explain, please... Here's a site on The Great tit-- http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/g/greattit/index.asp Sadly, it doesn't cover the LA variety, the bushtit(see the previous link of LA birds).

Posted by: Darrell at May 21, 2006 08:02 PM (+HKlX)

5 That was the sound of a "rim shot" on a drum kit. So people would know your pun was funny.

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 21, 2006 09:37 PM (4IuF2)

6 It would take more than that! I see the MSM is trying to manufacture a big stock drop, after ignoring all the strong economic news of the last couple of years. Don't fall for it people! Brokers just made their "sell' calls last week, getting nervous types to do a little profit taking, while giving themselves new cars(people always forget that this is the way brokers make their money--buy, sell, they make commissions either way.)The jump in inflation is almost totally explained away by the increase in oil prices--more than any other jump in the past! And those oil price increases are totally driven by oil futures prices--not supply and demand! Don't fall for this attempt to hurt the US economy so that the DEM bastards can have an easier time getting into office!

Posted by: Darrell at May 22, 2006 07:44 AM (sEh88)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

What are the advantages? Disadvantages? Discuss.

There is a school of thought out there to the effect that bloggers disclose too much about their private lives. Yet because a lot of them have dealt with the demons in their closets, many of them seem extraordinarily well-adjusted to me.

I believe in privacy. As a matter of fact, I hold those who violate it in deep contempt. But the confessional style of writing has a huge fan base, and those who indulge in it online seem stronger to me than most, in a bunch of ways.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 11:29 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 107 words, total size 1 kb.

1 My choice is to avoid talking about personal information as much as possible. I'm a very private person in real life and I know that my blog is read by my family, my husbands family and my friends. As a matter of fact I know that my mother and mother-in-law read my blog just for drips and drabs of the personal information that I don't share in real life. My sister-in-law writes a personal blog and it has caused eruptions in the family over opinions that she's posted. Maybe I just don't have the kind of family that's open to honest expression. Except for the rare trivial personal anecdote I'll stick to politics and the media.

Posted by: Janette at May 21, 2006 11:56 AM (OcgcA)

2 My friends read this. And my husband. But my mother, father, and brother rarely check in. I know when my father has taken a look, because he usually calls me to tell me that I'm just not as funny as I used to be, and I'm doing it wrong—too personal, not personal enough, whatever. (Naturally, I don't listen too closely: one learns when to tune one's parents out over the years.)

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 21, 2006 12:10 PM (4IuF2)

3 I think may husband may have read mine twice. Once to indulge me and once to see what the fuss was when some MSM types were sniffing about. I ask him every now and then to take a look at the style and design to get his opinion but he really shows no interest in my blog. I guess I can't be too offended because I do think I have the only blog he's ever read.

Posted by: Janette at May 21, 2006 01:30 PM (OcgcA)

4 My parents have been given my blog's address, but rarely read it. But, like Janette, I'm a very private person - so I don't blog about personal stuff. I do blog about semi-personal stuff once in a while (like hurricanes coming through, or my adventures in attempting to chase a black racer out of my house...). I don't really understand why people have an urge to tell their life story to total strangers... but whatever floats their boats...

Posted by: Kathy K at May 21, 2006 01:31 PM (Bm7x5)

5 Oh, Kathy. You're so left-brain.

Posted by: Attila Girl at May 21, 2006 04:22 PM (4IuF2)

6 i guess it depends on what your blog is for. i post personal stuff, but then most of the people that read it are friends and family. that way i don't have to remember who i've told what already, and lord knows i never call anyone. ;D

Posted by: maggie katzen at May 21, 2006 07:17 PM (rVzXG)

7 Well! I, of course, shall assume I'm in that nicely well-adjusted bunch. Especially since I don't hold all that much back on my blog. Some. Not much. I actually feel more comfortable when strangers are reading it than family members - maybe because I'm inblognito. My family rarely checks in, anyway. My *friends and family* blog is really more for others. When I blog about my problems, I'm making lemonade from lemons. There are times when I know, absolutely, that putting it out there is helping someone else in a similar situation. That, by far, is my *A#1* favorite way to get lemonade. I like thumbing my nose as the nasties that life can dish out. And whether or not it helps anyone else, it's still therapeutic for me. If my privacy is truly respected, it's no one's business to judge whether it's *too much.* I disclose little or nothing that could ever hurt me, and I'm certainly startled when I see people putting their face, address, etc. in the net in what I KNOW is a naive way. But that's STILL their business, not mine. I'm a lameass blogger. I'm inept about the 'sphere. I know so little about it that I had no idea *the confessional style of writing has a huge fan base,* or that blogging would fall into that category. But I do understand some things about people. And I'm very fond of them, generally speaking, so if any of my thoughts or experiences can benefit or amuse them, great by me. I have much the same feelings about privacy that you do. One thing that escapes some folks is this: Just because I choose to make some private info public, that DOESN'T mean it's okay for OTHERS to make my private info public. Or to access it for their own PRIVATE use - whether for pleasure, or for some potentially bogus government *need.*

Posted by: k at May 22, 2006 08:02 PM (wZLWV)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Now that I'm producing actual entries, you can buy blogads from me again. Yippee!

Or those of you who are earning steadily could just send me some dough, since I'm going to be doing a little outreach, and it's lovely to have "seed money" in the business account for same.

As usual, certain people are prohibited from contributing, because they live too close to the edge as it is. And they know who they are.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 11:24 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 79 words, total size 1 kb.

"Would it be fair," one of the older women there asked me, "to say it was a blessing in disguise?"

"No, it wouldn't," I responded. "There was no disguise involved. None whatsoever. Pure blessing."

Posted by: Attila Girl at 02:26 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 58 words, total size 1 kb.

I got fired.

And, I'm being perfectly sincere: it's the best thing that could have happened. I'll explain later, but right now I'm dancing around, celebrating my newfound freedom.

I have May pole up in the living room. I know it's a bit late, and it turns out that it's particularly challenging for one person to dance around a May pole by herself, aided only by her husband—when he's awake.

But I'm managing just fine.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 10:40 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 79 words, total size 1 kb.

I know we have 'em. How many are there?

Are there any who are behind bars for reasons other than the "War on Drugs"? Not many, I imagine.

Just askin' the question.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 08:24 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 44 words, total size 1 kb.