GinohnNews

G: I'm still not finished with our last week's news all about our trip (though some more is written), but here's what we did since we got back, until now-ish. The day after we got back, Friday the 31st of August, we had a concert to go to - you guessed it - Paul & Storm and Jonathan Coulton again. It was at the Birchmere, and Rich and Izolda kindly got there early to save us a good table. Which they did. We showed up and ordered some food, and Renee and Alex came in a bit later and we enjoyed each other's company until the show started. Renee brought a paper that had a story about JoCo and we also played some rounds of a word game.

I believe I speak for everybody when I say we had an AWESOME time. Paul & Storm had a few new bits that we hadn't heard before, including a short song called "If They Might Be Giants Were The Ice Cream Man." They are really good at interacting with the audience and improving funny stuff in between songs. JoCo was in fine form, very funny between songs, and performed beautifully. As happened at the first show of theirs we ever went to (this is the 3rd this year and we have tix to another), many stuffed animals were throw onstage during the show. Lots had money pinned to them, but this time, people were writing notes on napkins and pinning them on the animals too. There were a lot of laughs generated by this, and a spectacular few minutes when it led to an impromptu performance of Sweet Caroline, with Paul & Storm onstage singing along, as well as most of the audience. It might not sound like much, but it was incredibly fun, and I felt a huge rush from it. More details can be found in this nice review of the show.

Between the acts I bought Paul & Storm's new CD, Gumbo Pants, which has a lot of good funny songs on it. I also picked up a free little poster with a drawing of the three of them as Josie and the Pussycats. And after the show we got in line for autographs and pictures. I was a little nervous because I've become a pretty big fan of JoCo's, you might even say I have a bit of a crush on him. After getting things signed by Storm and then Paul, and a photo of them and us, I approached JoCo and said, "Hi, I love you." He laughed and said, "I love you too!" That was sweet. With some descriptions of our meager past interactions (emails, monkey-pony monsters) he seemed to have an idea of who I was in connection to those things (but who knows, really?). Renee told him that I was responsible for the 6 of us being there, and that I'd given him a monkey-pony monster at the last show we were at. I said, "One of the many, I'm sure," and he concurred, but then I said it was the monkey-pony monster with exquisite stitching, and he said, "Oh, yeah, I know exactly where that one is." I think Rich asked him where he keeps them, and he said they all go in his daughter's room. We got autographs and a photo and left.

The next night we took Stacy to zpizza as a thank you for some house sitting she did while we were away. Rich came along. The service was very slow, we ALL had to send our pizza's back for the last (after cooking) ingredients (avocado and basil), and Rich waited over 40 minutes for his pizza, which made him mad. So John ordered a desert pizza, so that we'd all be eating when Rich was instead of watching him eat, but that took over half and hour to come. Everything was delicious, though. That almost makes up for it, but we probably won't go very often.

Sunday I ran an event for Artful Afternoon (Labor Day weekend edition). I had a bunch of cheap sunglasses and foam visors, and stuff to decorate them with (sticky foam shapes, pipe cleaners, sequins, etc.). I didn't have a whole lot of traffic, but a fair amount, and the creations were really pretty neat. It was fun.

That evening there was a party at Noelle's, and I went with Rich while John stayed home with Chris who came to town for the party of the next day. I had a nice time at Noelle's, but there's not much to report. The next day Rich and Chris went with us to Dave Chalker's Labor Day, his graduation, and little brother's birthday party. I made a yummy salad to bring. Jake was there with fresh copies of his new game (put out by R'n'R games), Covert Action. I played Celebrities with Alex, Renee, their out of town friends, and Chris, TVTom, and Rich. I was partners with Alex, which meant we won. Later some of us played Squint and watched Rich play with the Wii a bit.

Nothing to report from the rest of that week, until Friday, when there was a party at TVTom's. I made some ratatouille and mixed it with some eggplant dish from Costco (like I did last time) and served it with bread. It was a hit again. I had fun just hanging out and chatting with people. Yeah.

Saturday I ran into Dorian and Amethyst in the town center and they were on their way to the Pooch Plunge - the last day the pool is open, you can bring your dog! So after I finished my shift at Greenbelt Om I went home and walked Katy there. There were a lot of dogs. She just wanted to run around and check out the grounds for a while, but I finally got her chasing her tennis ball, and then chasing it into the shallow water. At one point Dorian put her in my arms in the deep pool, but she really didn't like it so I let her swim to the edge a few feet and helped her out. We had a lot of fun, though.

I'd had a bit of a runny nose for a few days, and later a cough that I still haven't gotten over, but Saturday afternoon I felt pretty bad. My acid reflux, which hardly ever bothers me at all anymore, flared up, and I was coughing a lot. So instead of going to a party that night, I relaxed and felt better by the next day, after sleeping in late. John and I went to Liam and Tara's pre-wedding Garden Party (not a shower!) at Charles and Lisa's place. Lots of friends there. And great food, mostly made by Lisa. There was a newlywed game for Liam and Tara, run by Charles. And then a bunch of us played Martini's and Men, a silly, light, but fun card game. Renee, Alex, Jeff, and I finished up the afternoon with a game of Shaufenster, then it was time for the party to end. John and I went straight to the New Deal Cafe for an art opening for our friend Paul, and didn't get away until late, so I didn't make it to dance night until after 9pm. Renee had saved all but one of the four JoCo songs she played that night until I got there (sweet). I went to Plato's afterwards to hang out some more with them, and saw Andy there with our friend Russel from Florida - he was in town briefly.

Monday night I had classes at the UM Art and Learning Center start - both went well. Tuesday Mango went back to the vet, and she's off insulin now! The diabetes was temporary, hopefully. But she'd woken us up the morning before with a strange couple of meows. I found her peeing on a backpack - sitting a long time with little coming out. When she moved I took it to the sink and dumped it off, and saw a drop of it was pink. So, she has a UTI and is on antibiotics.

J: Those of you who know me and my messy ways will be surprised to learn that I cleaned my desk at work. I've kept it clean for about a month — including the time it remained clean during my vacation, but I'll include that time for now; I need every day I can get.

I used a new method* to clean my desk and keep it that way. I don't really have a name for it yet but for now I'll call it the "proximity bin" method. It is very similar to the method described on Zen Habits: At the end of every day I clear practically everything off my desk, and stick those things in a nearby in-box, which is hidden in a nearby drawer. During each day I process the in-box. I pull things out of it and file, discard, or otherwise deal with them. No matter how cluttered my desk gets during the day, the only things that remain on its surface when I leave are a computer and its peripherals, a phone, a pad of paper and pencil, reading glasses, a mug, and a framed picture.

Kudos to my sister-in-law Lori, who uses a similar method to organize closets, cabinets, etc. At first I thought that taking everything out of a closet to organize it was overkill, and perhaps a waste of time. But I'm convinced now that it can be an effective organizational tactic.

Since the proximity bin method is working so well at the office, I'm planning to attack our small (and hidden beneath piles) desk at home. If the method works there, I will then deal with the dining room table, and eventually all other horizontal surfaces in the house. (Yeah, right, I know it sounds nigh impossible, but it just might work.) As with my office desk, the trick is to have a nearby and perhaps hidden box or cabinet as temporary storage for everything that does not belong on each previously cluttered surface. During the day I will develop the habit of processing bins, and toward the end of each day I will develop the much simpler habit of shoving things into bins. I plan to attack new areas one at a time, once each previously negotiated area is under control. Eventually I am hoping that all tables and bins will remain relatively clean, with priority — of course — given to tables.

Have I found my personal holy grail of neatness, or is this yet another mirage on the horizon, leading me in circles through the wasteland? I have no idea, but I enthusiastically march on. Stay tuned!

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* Well, new to me.