random stuff I’ve done
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TwainFest and The Right to Vote
Then, in the most important lesson of the day, the woman stamped it. DENIED.
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One Simple Rule for Shopping at the Warehouse Store
Today I went to Costco, and it was packed. Like Christmas packed. I don’t know why– it was 1 o’clock on a Friday. The cashier said it was like that yesterday, too. Don’t people have to work? Where was everyone coming from? Anyway, I love Costco, because lots of things cost less in bulk. Even…
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The Night I Got Carded
Last Saturday night, Cadillac and I wanted to go out and somehow (somehow) got bored with our regular routine, which goes something like this: Shop at Target with no kids. Date night at Target! Woot! Go to the bookstore and get coffee. Rinse and repeat. So, because I am brilliant, I actually looked in the…
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Sleep, or the Lack Thereof
If anybody gets an email from me today that makes no sense, just delete it. I already sent one to my husband by mistake (thank goodness it was just to him). I think I’ve gotten about 5 hours of sleep in the past two days. I have always had trouble sleeping. I had trouble sleeping…
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Yard Sale Finds
Some finds today. We stopped by an estate sale and got this desk for $40. It needs some cleaning, but it’s solid wood and has dovetailed joints and doesn’t smell weird or anything. It even has a glass top, cut to its shape. I also saw a gorgeous china cabinet there that was the perfect…
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The Library and Me: A Fomite’s Tale
At ALA, someone from the organization interviewed me and asked what libraries mean to me. I told him lots of things. How I won several consecutive years of the library’s summer reading contest as a kid. How heavily my family uses the library (not just for reading, they also sponsor lots of activities, like jewelry…
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Car Sickness and Flat Tires: Family Vacation, National Lampoon-Style
After our sojourn to CalArts, we decided to go up to the Sequoias to see the big trees. We stayed the first night at a Best Western outside of the park, then went inside. The plan was to camp. We made reservations at a campsite, the only campsite available. It was about 20 miles away…
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CSSSA at CalArts
Last Friday, I stepped back onto the CalArts campus for the first time in 20 years. I went to the California State Summer School for the Arts there (CSSSA, which people call “SEE-SAH”), during the last possible chance I had to go, after I was done with high school. I studied creative writing there– it’s…
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Comic-Con 2012
Comic-Con was in San Diego this past weekend, and it was a zoo. About 140,000 people attend. Then there’s more random stuff people can do downtown, so even more people who aren’t attendees go. It is elbow-to-elbow crowded, but people are generally pleasant and wear creative costumes, so it’s a fun atmosphere once you can…
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Seals and Sentimentality: an Immodest, Unpopular Proposal for Children’s Pool
For years, I have watched a debate rage over the La Jolla Children’s Pool beach and the seals there. Watched as our city leaders, too scared by both sides, apparently, do basically nothing to fix the problem. Instead, they apply tiny Band-aids to staunch a wound that needs serious stitches. I’ve gone up there and…
MARGARET DILLOWAY 