But y’all (I’m practicing my Okie) deserve a long entry, seeing as how I haven’t written anything in so long. Even more embarrassing, I’m going to get my hair cut tomorrow – and that picture of me right after the last one is still up. But doing anything from my home computer is almost impossible these days because of weird issues that cause my processor to freeze, which then cuts off my modem. So you’re getting this update written in snatches between various work-type tasks. Because I can only fill out so many book ordering forms by hand (stupid carbon paper eating printer) before I need a break.

Yeah, the Dreaded Workshop of %&*#)$_@Technology was about as bad as I expected. But it is over, and I do not have to think about it anymore – except for writing the thank you notes. I hate writing thank you notes. I think part of it (at least now that I’m older) is that I can’t just write (as my cousin once did for his high school graduation present “Thank you for the bag. Love, C.” No, I have to be cute/funny/interesting, so I have to come up with something to say, and then write it out, and I usually overshoot “thanks for the present” and end up with something like “thank you for the pivotal role you play in my sense of self worth – you truly are the wind beneath my wings.”(Except, you know, less Bette Midler-y.)So you can imagine how much I have been procrastinating on this particular work assignment. At least I get paid to do this. And the people in the next office over are getting ready for a workshop that involves people sleeping in the residence halls – they were actually making the beds up themselves this morning. So, I’m quite thankful I only had to deal with one overnight guest, no matter how many complaints about no coffee at lunch I had to deal with.

Let’s see …. other happenings. Zan and BA have come up with a crazy scheme to walk the entire border of the island of Manhattan. Though theirs is actually a scaled down version of the event that inspired it , as we are walking one coast line at a time. A few weeks ago, we walked the West side (Battery Park to 145th St) -- pictures here. Next weekend we’re starting at 145thSt. and doing the northern tip. I think.I just show up when they tell me to.

Susan came last weekend.We got all dressed up Saturday and saw Rent – go to this show, if you haven’t seen it, people. Soooooo good.The first act is fun, but the second act is just brilliant. It made me cry and I even knew how it ended. Now I can’t wait for the movie to come out – especially since I really want to hear Jesse L. Martin as Collins.(And the actor playing Collins was very good, and from OCU, I just love to hear Jesse sing.)Sunday we went to Coney Island, at first just to walk around, but it was such perfect weather that we went back to the apartment, got beach chairs and books, and spent the entire afternoon hanging out. My arms are really sunburned, though, because I forgot to put sunscreen on them. I’m twenty minutes from the OCEAN, people! I’m either going to be very very tan this summer or develop skin cancer (or possibly both).

Also, I may have FINALLY found an ending to the story of the Great Thesis Reading Scene. This is something I have been working on for almost two years – there is one scene in it (which I read at the Thesis Reading, see?) which has been almost completely unchanged since the original rough draft. And then there is everything else, especially the ending, which has been completely re-written seven times without finding a satisfactory conclusion. But it just CAME to me this week, while I was trying to go to sleep, so I had to get up and find a pen, and write it down, but such is the life of a struggling writer.

Oh, and I’m going to Oklahoma June 12-21. Vacation! Shorts weather! Air conditioning! Yay!