So I have a city. Or, if you will, une ville. I think the population estimate on Wikipedia is a few thousand low. Not that it makes a huge difference.

I spent a lot of money recently, but on things I really need. Nonetheless, I would prefer if the number in my bank account would go steadily up instead of down.

We went to the KCK last night and it was super fun. The chairs were nifty, and Charles looked too cool for everyone lounging in one of them with his leg slung over the side.

My parents’ puppies have been born and they are leaning toward (and I am pushing them toward) naming them Boris and Natasha. They get them in a month.

I love my new computer and its new keyboard, and for once I wish I had things to type. Just because I like the feel of it under my fingers.

I finally watched Reality Bites so that I can stop thinking people are conversing with me when they’re really just quoting things. One thing, really, or maybe four.

I think that ? is really my feeling of the moment, or the week. I usually try to make myself not think too much about my upcoming age before my birthday so that it’s really new the day of and feels special. This doesn’t have the right effect. Instead I just feel like nothing happened and it’s not till a few days later that I really get it that I’m older. Listening to the CD Laurel “gifted” me (are we really calling it that? isn’t that just silly?) over iTunes helps me remember that there was an event, even if it was just the receiving of a digital CD. (Are they all digital?) But let’s not underrate my fever breaking. That was totally rad and made me glad I was born.

Also talking to my brother was remarkable. We don’t do it much. His life always seems very distant from mine, what with the academic system (H-bomb, grad school) and material (theories about multiple dimesnsions, particles whose names I don’t remember) that I don’t really understand. Thankfully he mentioned watching a movie (Everything Is Illuminated) on Netflix which unexpectedly reknit the threads that the internet can so neatly tie over distances and that I’ve been letting break. Oh, I shouldn’t use metaphors. (Should I watch Everything Is Illuminated? He said he liked it. I said I didn’t completely like the book. We compared notes and he said what I didn’t like wasn’t in the movie.)

What is with the Astros letting the Twins beat them?! ?! ?! In a note about me being okay with Jonathan Safran Foer, I read a piece of his before EiI about punctuation that represents feelings (and possibly something else…) and I loved it.

It’s okay, anyway, the Tigers are still doing great.

Hurrah, am going to Wisconsin for the weekend before the fourth. Am v. excited to take my first road trip in my new car. Must begin to devise ways to keep self entertained without tape or cd player.

Cold is almost gone.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday greetings. I have spent most of the day in bed but I believe my fever is gone. Now one side (only one!) of my throat hurts. Am mystefied.

So, celebrations have been postponed till probably the end of this week. Twenty-two doesn’t quite feel very interesting.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I’m calling in sick to work. Sadly, I actually am sick. Not horribly but after working anyway for two days I think tomorrow is undoable. I’ve picked out a pair of shoes to get for my birthday. Actually I think I posted a picture of them on here earlier. Of course I won’t get them for a few weeks.

My mom gave me the new Pride & Prejudice for my birthday (understanding that it is important that I have both recent versions) so I am going to watch it now. She also gave me A Very Long Engagement, so maybe soon I will watch that again in an effort to actually understand the mystery this time.

Today I decided to buy three pairs of shoes. One for my birthday and they’re so cheap it doesn’t really matter. Then two pairs of Danksos using the employee purchase plan. Really it makes total sense but just saying “three pairs of shoes” seems over the top. Plus they’re awesome shoes and I lose my discount after this summer.

It’s okay though also because I got paid way more than I expected today. It’s like tips but you don’t get them at the end of the night. You get them secretly added up all at once. I love it.

I’m still reading Small Island by Andrea Levy but it’s kind of heavy so I decided to break it up with something else. What did I choose? Dr. Zhivago. I never understand reading moods.

I work tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and then guess what, four more days after that. But Monday is my birthday and I’m going to go out and have fun that night.

It’s raining. My windows were open wide this afternoon and my floor got a little wet. At least I left my computer on my bed. Sometimes these disorganized tendencies of mine turn out to be sensible.

It’s time for an update but there’s not much going on. My birthday’s next Monday. I’m thinking of having people over for cake and beer. My boss is taking us out to dinner tomorrow. I watched a really weird Korean movie last night. And by weird I mean pervy. Although it wasn’t so much the movie that was pervy as much as the male characters in it.

I have awesome musgo-colored pumps that I haven’t worn yet.

This is about Ireland, right?

I spent the morning in the Kirk lab cleaning off computers. It was kinda fun. I hope all those mity kids appreciate it. I’ve always wanted to not just be neurotic when I delete people’s projects off of computer lab computers and this time I wasn’t, because it was my job.

Right, anyway. Brandon showed me this.

I think I actually feel bad for the Republican party that this woman represents them in any way.