(Subject line QFM from my Chinese word-a-day calendar.)

Vexations:

- spam. *smites*
- tiredness. *sips from cup of coffee*
- pointless bureaucratic hoops. *brushes off super-sneakers*
- the pronunciation of my surname being un-obvious (it's DUH-thee, not DOO-thee, please)
- the to-do list grows ever longer, not shorter. *checks laces on the super-sneakers*

Irony:
- receiving an "Application for Cancer Insurance" addressed to my mom, with my birthday as the due date. *grim smile*

Pleasures:

* being back in my own kitchen. Last night we split a porterhouse steak and a bowl of insalata caprese, and I poured myself a glass of port.

* the aforementioned cup of coffee. *inhales*

* lovey-dovey doggie.

* my mother worked for many years in the cataloging department of a library. They would occasionally get reports titled "Unauthorized subject headings." I came across one from 2002 that lists "Death" as a "not applicable" heading. (It's immediately followed by "Death Causes Statistics.") On the next page, the last entry is "Life expectancy" (also "not applicable"), next to which my mother pencilled her initials and the word "deleted."

* the New York Times had an article and slide-show on a sheep-shearing school this morning.

* researching possibilities for a new copier-printer. *cops to uber-nerdiness*

* marymary recorded one of my poems! *surprised delight*