(no subject)

Quick update as that seems to be all I've got time to do these days. First, had a busy but great week last week and I got to see a goodly portion of the local crew, which is always fun. Of course it also meant that my apartment looked like a train wreck by today. I actually stood in the middle of it and wailed at the cats, "But I haven't even been here this week!" They blinked at me innocently. As if I couldn't figure out who'd spread the kitty litter all over the carpet.

Had two great gaming sessions this week, including getting to play a doped up version of my highly strung engineer ("Bunnies!") and an upper class British twit enmeshed in a series of family scandals while desperately trying to avoid an unpleasant entanglement. The latter was a fantastic Wodehouse LARP that I can safely say was the most enjoyable time I've ever had at a LARP period. Great setting too, a wonderful old turn of the century house up in Oakland. There were some fantastic costumes and even those new to gaming threw themselves into their characters and seemed to have a grand time. I was complimented on my characterization which was apparently both authentically twit-ish while also charmingly sweet (which was precisely what I was shooting for). Didn't accomplish all my goals, but I did get to help steal a pig, do the Drone bee dance and rather successfully avoid an engagement I didn't want while getting my relatives to actively encourage the one I did want. Go me!

Sadly when I came home I discovered the squirrels had finished off my birdfeeder, presumably in protest over the fact that I'd neglected to feed them that day. I'd been looking for an excuse to get a new one so I can't be too angry at them. Today when I went out to feed them as I was pouring the sunflower seeds and almonds into the feeder one of them came so close to me that I could almost reach out and touch it. Whatever fear they once had of me seems to have pretty much disappeared, and they don't seem too impressed by the cats either. That's not a terribly healthy long term perspective for the little critters I'm afraid.

Today was spent cleaning madly, restocking supplies, tidying up the garden, doing some laundry and starting the quilt I'm going to send my pal D- for his new soon-to-be-arriving baby. Fortunately I can whip through baby quilts in a day or two so I don't foresee it taking me too long. That's good 'cause I've got some other stuff to finish before Christmas...

(no subject)

I am shocked, shocked to find gambling going on in this establishment!

Financial workers at Wall Street’s top banks are to receive pay deals worth more than $70bn (£40bn), a substantial proportion of which is expected to be paid in discretionary bonuses, for their work so far this year - despite plunging the global financial system into its worst crisis since the 1929 stock market crash, the Guardian has learned.

Staff at six banks including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup are in line to pick up the payouts despite being the beneficiaries of a $700bn bail-out from the US government that has already prompted criticism. The government’s cash has been poured in on the condition that excessive executive pay would be curbed.