Must counteract the TUS-deprivation melancholy. What's going on in your life right now that's making you smile?

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Answers

You guys. Now I'm all stressed because last night I was seriously prepared to say fuck-it to the whole server mess, but this morning I'm all feeling the love and shit. Which means now I have to get back to work on researching options.

Um, that was mostly good, wasn't it?

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

The anthropology library isn't on summer hours, so I can go pick up the book I need Right Now, rather than waiting half an hour.

Er. That's a teensy thing to be happy about, I know, but I'm taking whatever I can get this morning.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

My delicious lunch. Schlepping in the heat was definitely worth it, even after feeling like I had run the New York Marathon when I got back to the office.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

After work I'll be going over to a friend's place & watching more of Buffy, season 2. We should get to "Innocence" and "Surprise" tonight. My friend has been rolling her eyes at the romantic scenes between Buffy & Angel, and I keep telling her that the writers do something interesting with the relationship later in the season. So I'm looking forward to her reaction.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Damn, but this is some half-assed happiness.

Here's one: all systems are go on a little coding project I can do on the side that should be very fast and easy and will bring in an extra $1000 we need.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Beth, that was very good. Excellent answer.

My good thing: well, amidst all the pressure and angst, caused by both thesis and forum woes, I have had some really nice e-mail in the last couple of days. People had pretty much stopped mailing me, since I have a (well-deserved) rep for not answering it. E-mail is fun! Shiny and happy, even.

Another good thing: rereading some of the old threads on this forum. I hit upon one I remembered, although I didn't participate, because I had only just started hanging around here and I was too shy to say much. (It's true! I am a delicate flower like that.) Surprising to see some of the people who used to post regularly (some missed, some... not). Also amazement that anyone could follow a conversation in this format, which now looks like hieroglyphics on stone tablets compared to the snazzy bright shiny software of the Homeland.

Yet another good thing: this frozen yogurt stuff. Also addictive. Beware.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

I actually discovered a post I made on this board back in the day under a discussion about contact lenses versus glasses. That was a nice surprise.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

I discovered this when I was checking the xeney address to see what was going on. It's been fun reading some of the past topics and responses that are on here. So much for being productive at work.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

After discussing with Jeremy how much easier it would be to migrate the old forum to a new server if we could have both up and happening at once, I registered one of Shmuel's suggested urls for the new server: theusuals.net. All derivations of usualsuspects.whatever were either taken or just too damn long. Same for tus.whatever (plus it sounds a little gross). Theusuals.com belongs to a ska band in Florida, so I don't think we'll have too much confusion. Maybe we can work out a cross-linking arrangement. Eventually I'll set xeney.net up to point to the new server, too.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

PhilipF used the word "Bethadone". Hee.

Karen put some of her archives up!

I thought of a birthday gift for my brother-in-law. He loves Neil Diamond and was disappointed when he couldn't get tickets to a conccert recently. I'm going to get him a DVD of a concert and give it to him with a lighter.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

I got new, funky, purple glasses yesterday. They are fabulous. They will match the manic panic purple streaks I'm getting in my hair on Saturday, which will be my 30th party. And I will be having a big karaoke party and it's already been suggested that I need a throne for said party. Either way, I'm definitely getting a tiara. From where, I don't know. And also? I got some good booty from a girl I've been lusting after for weeks.

So, to sum up:

1. New purple glasses 2. Impending purple hair 3. 30th birthday karaoke party on Saturday 4. Tiara for party 5. Cute girl nookie

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Hard to follow that. Man.

But I get to go home early. Thursday instead of Friday. yay.

So to sum up:

1. Home early. 2. There is nothing else.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Today is all about the new office joy. Plus, new officemate just left town until Tuesday, so I get to settle into my new office *all by myself*.

Also, coworker just gave me stuff I've been waiting on for days. The awiting has sucked, but getting it now means there's a chance I won't have to work this weekend.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

I have the child of TUS (or, I suppose, if you want to be picky about it, the mother of TUS) to see me through these painful days at the office. It's a bit scary how seeing familiar names cheers me up.

Also, just got back from an excellent Thai restaurant (and, therefore, Thai lunch), so my stomach is pleasantly full and the afternoon seems much easier to handle.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Stacey,
I'm happy for you that you've got a new office. Congratulations!

But, and I think I'm not alone in saying this, I am going to miss hearing about the adventures of Loony, Baby, and the Doomed Fetus.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

If Stacey really loved us, she'd stay there in the same office with her just to entertain us.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Or, she'd show us her tits. It's one or the other, Stacey!

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

I'm not pregnant. I'm used to using pill packs to know when I'm due for another period, but I stopped the pill last month. I couldn't remember for the life of me when the last period had been, but it seemed really long ago. But it finally turns out I'm not pregnant. Kind of a relief, although we would have been happy either way. I just wasn't looking forward to working and going to school full time while making a human inside me.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

I'm right there with you. Happy for Stacey, sad that we'll have no more tales of the mutant that shared her office...

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

I just wandered over to the printer to collect a print job and instead found all the paper drawers ajar and two of my more ego-bound male coworkers standing over it and fiddling.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"It says it's jammed, but we can't find anything. Put some more paper in the bottom drawer!"

"But there's already paper in there!" quoth the other one.

"Oh, let me," I said, squeezed past them, opened a hatch, removed the toner cartridge, flipped a lever, extricated the accordioned paper and tossed it in the recycle bin, all in about fifteen seconds flat. They were agog. Now, anyone who's dealt with the printer for more than a week should be able to do this; nevertheless, I think I've now gained a rep as The Printer Dominatrix. This pleases me.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Well, I'm still only two doors down from Loony. There's a decent chance that I will still overhear her insane antics every so often. I will be sure to report every scrap of said insanity.

Maybe my officemate has a webcam so I can show you guys my tits. I'll have to look into that.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

I think I've now gained a rep as The Printer Dominatrix.

User title!

Oh, and my good news is that I managed to miss most of the agony, this being my first (and last, touch wood) xeney-free day. Also, I should be working next week which will mean that my brother and I won't be reduced to begging for food after paying the plumber I definitely would have bitched about had there been a board to do so on.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Ha! If only I didn't have another 250 posts or so to go, last I checked ...

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Little Ugly Dog has finally found my new office. I'm surprised it took her all day, and it was nice to eat lunch without her harassing me, but it's pretty cute how happy she is to have found me again. She's all hopping around drooling joyfully in her little ugly fashion and slurping my leg.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

You have a little ugly dog at your office? Bah. I want a little ugly dog at my office!

My happy is that I don't have anything to do tonight -- I called my parents on Monday, I practiced singing yesterday, the kitchen floor is mopped, the bills don't have to be paid yet. I can read! I can watch someone get booted off American Idol! I'm freeeee!

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

One of the guys who works down the hall has two little dogs, one ugly and one less ugly, that he brings to work every day. Little Ugly Dog is a black pug who loves me because I give her food. I think her name's actually Dolly, but I called her Little Ugly Dog for so long before I knew her name that I can't break the habit.

Less Ugly Dog is white and fluffy -- I think maybe she's some kind of small poodle. No idea what her real name is, and she doesn't love me like Little Ugly Dog does, so she hasn't bothered to find my new office yet.

They're nice, but they do preclude me bringing Schroedinger to work, which I was able to do sometimes at my old job.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

At lunch today I saw a young woman wearing 5-inch heels and walking a Pomeranian puppy. You know, I don't care if you share my preference for big dogs; Pomeranian puppies are just about the cutest things in the world. Maybe cuter than baby elephants, even. It was a really good puppy and she didn't even look that ridiculous walking him in her high heels. They just looked adorable.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Stacey: I just got a digital camera, and I'll be back in town in like, a week or something.

Just in case you're really into showing your tits, you know. I try to be helpful.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

It could be a great way to raise money for the new server.

The only thing I can think of to offer up for auction or sale would be a mix-tape or -CD.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Dude. I'd pay money for a mix cd from Philip. Seriously.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Beth, weren't you worried she'd accidentally misstep and skewer the poor thing?

(And yeah, mix CDs from Philip would rock!)

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

I really hope, PhilipF, that you plan to tell us how the Buffy- watching went. I want to know how your friend reacted. Makes me want to go hook someone on Buffy just to watch their reaction when they get to those episodes. Perhaps I'm evil.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2002

Happy to see the Happy and Good thread back up again!

In other Happy news: - I feel better today than yesterday. - I'm actually getting some stuff done today that I need to do (despite being at work). - It is Day One of you-ladies-know-what, but I still feel decent. - I had a TUS dream! I was on a desert mountain hike with selila (hi!) and some other Suspects (don't recall who, unfortunately). selila was taking digital photos of people and scenery, and insisted that I sit for one. When it showed on the viewer, I looked really, really good. Also, selila was very nice (as I'm sure you are IRL).

Nobody showed their tits, though. Maybe next time.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

I actually got some sleep. It took 800 milligrams of ibuprofen, three Tagamets, a Benadryl, and liberal application of Aspercreme to my knotted up neck and back, but I slept through the night. Ahhhhhhhh.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

That nibelung ring Susan put up really is a cool thing. I hardly read journals anymore and hadn't even realised that half of these Suspects kept them. Now I'm kind of nibbling around here and there, checking out those links. I feel like I'm "meeting" some of you guys for the first time. Hello!

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

No response yet from my friend about those episodes because we ended up watching The Virgin Suicides instead. And I'm not sure when we'll next get a chance to watch Buffy.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Hm. "Innocence" vs. "The Virgin Suicides". I'm sensing themes...

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Let's see... I watched Hatari on cable last night, and it was chock full of baby elephants.

The boys and I slept in the spare room last night, because G. was really fried from not sleeping well, and we wanted to diminish disruptions from all of us. Howard slept on the bed all night (he never does this). I woke up feeling very cuddled. I suspect it's because I was using a sleeping bag as a comforter. When I first got him, and he discovered that yes! the couch is a place for dogs! the sleeping bag was part of his couch experience.

G. and I bought plane tickets and made hotel reservations for his cardio conference in late October in San Francisco. I registered for Journalcon in early October. (I'm driving to JCon.)

So, to recap: * baby elephants * hard core howard cuddles * late october san francisco trip * registration for Journalcon

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

I am at the center of a psych department controversy over my new office. I suppose this isn't really a good thing for my poor boss, who has to field the controversy, or for all the people who are pissed off about it.

But I've never been at the center of a controversy before, and I'm actually highly enjoying it. Plus highly enjoying my new office. I'm probably going to have to work until 8 or 9 pm tonight, and I don't even care, because my new office is so nice.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Check this out: I'm 24 hours into a job search and have received my first call to "talk more about my background" - I forgot the home answering machine is partly in German, so mostly I'm just happy he didn't hang up when he heard that. I think I'll wait until after lunch to call the dude back. I should work on pumping myself up for that.

That job: potentially a significant raise, half the commute, and could be great fun.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

I was just called in by my manager and I thought I was going to be chastised for directing a coworker to be more collaborative (which, according to this coworker's e-mail to me, was construed by her as my being "pushy", "bossy", and non-collaborative mmyself). Turns out my manager saw her e-mail to me, and was very upset about the tone (it was a really spiteful e-mail), and wanted to let me know that I was absolutely right to do what I did, and that he was shocked at the venom that was directed to me in this e-mail, and he was planning to talk to her. A lot of it is her feeling threatened by my competitive streak, and the fact that unlike the men on the team who are all passive and don't stand up to her face to face, I have no problem speaking my mind. Anyway, this was the first indication I got from my new manager that he actually liked my style and has, all along--and here I was thinking the last two months that he probably was turned off by my...err...sometimes frank interactions. I am actually happy for the first time in a long time at work.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Yay, work-related happiness! Especially Jayran's -- I'm all about frankness. And also vindication. Bwah!

Topic: I'm going to skive off for a while this afternoon to go to the open house at the local concert hall, which just renovated. Also we'll start a new song in singing tonight; hopefully nothing German. Also I'm getting bits of work done -- I knocked two thing off my to- do list just because I realized I'd already done them whilst working on other things. Shuttup, that does so count as getting things done.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Just off the phone with the job guy. It went well. I seem to have asked all the right questions, which kind of amused me. I go in for an actual interview Monday morning. There are a couple of things that make me apprehensive (it's a big change), but nothing that's sent me running from the opportunity for an interview.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

It just occurred to me that the Alex in the "Phil and Alex's Guide to ..." referenced all over this forum is probably this Alex. Someday I, too, hope to coauthor a book with my dog. "Beth and Mochi's Guide to Making Friends and Influencing People." What do you think?

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

I'd buy it. Unless "Curtis and Guppy's Guide to Making Friends and Influencing People" came out first. then I might have to buy that instead.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Wow, I'd definitely buy both of those. I might even have to make a special trip, to get autographed copies. Talk about fundraisers!

I still think we should do auctions of some sort to raise server/technical voodoo-related funds. It would be fun and useful. It's just so hard to set up something like that in this format.

I also think any surplus should go to giving Beth and Jeremey a night out. A weekend getaway would be even better. Something fancy and relaxing, anyway, involving lots of ice cream and margaritas (not together, though. Well, unless that's how they want it; it's their weekend). If anyone needs and deserves a vacation, they do. Either a vacation, or lots and lots of presents.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Plin, that is a lovely suggestion, except you know that if we were to go away for a weekend, the server would immediately CRASH. It's the law. Maybe pizza and beer, though!

(I posted this in the wrong thread before. Clearly, I need to go to bed.)

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

This is really minor, but I bought a new cell phone and it's damn snazzy. It has a little built-in camera so that I can take pictures (jpegs that look fine on a phone, but low-quality on a computer). I was playing around with it and found out that it can even make 10 second movies with or without sound. I can also keep my schedule on it and compile a dictionary of the new Japanese words I've learned.

Anyway, my very first phone pic is here. I look weird and disoriented. Don't laugh.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

Oh, right. I had a point. So if Stacey comes to Japan, I can use my phone take a picture of her tits. That is all.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

Schmennifer, you totally look like an opera diva. (I remember you saying once that you wanted to be known as "La Schmennifer".)

My good is that it's Friday, and that some customer claims that installing our software messed up Office, which I know is completely impossible, and the sales person is panicking. I don't know why this makes me happy; schadenfreude, I guess.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

My good thing is that I am going on holidays on Sunday, so I only have about an hour of work left, and then I'll be free for two weeks. Two (hopefully) glorious sunny weeks in Malta, I can't wait.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

My good thing is that it's Friday. At last! And I'll go to the library and take out lots of books! And then I'll buy some popsicles. I will then slurp on frozen goodness and read until my eyes fall out this weekend, as it's going to be way too disgusting out to spent much time outside.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

I bought our season tickets for the ballet. I was supposed to buy them two months ago but I never got around to it. And then they called to make sure Jeremy had gotten their brochure, so I either bought us season tickets or fell for a remarkably lucky con artist. (We are really not ballet people; this was a whim.)

By the way, that hot male torso on the front page of the website? That torso lives on my block and frequently parades around its front yard mostly unclothed, doing yard work. Several more very nice ballet dancer torsos of the male and female variety also live there and sometimes treat us to nearly-naked street volleyball games. That's my definition of a good neighbor.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

My new laptop is here! Yaaaay! It turns on and everything!

It's a refurbished Dell Latitude I got from UBid. It's not too beat up; there's a few minor scratches on the case and the space bar is worn shiny, but that's it. And I just found an equipment ID sticker on the bottom from its previous owner, Deloitte and Touche. You'd think the refurbishers would remove stuff like that.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

Holy crap. I'm just watching an interview with the band Phantom Planet and I have an instant crush on every member, but especially Jacques. Slurp!

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

I'm on Night 8 of a 9 night work week. Y'all, that means there's only one night left! Well, two, after this one.

Plus, it's the weekend, so I'm wearing comfy drawstring pants. After spending the whole week in skirts, I deserve a break.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

Whee! It's 10:45 p.m. and I'm finally done working for the night! Which means as soon as I scrub the blood off my steps, I'm free to do something fun! Which probably means Farscape and bed, as tired and grumpy as I am -- but at least the possibility is there now!

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

I've got a good that rocks my world. We just refinanced our mortgage. Went from 9.25 percent interest (we bought last year with no money down, couldn't be too fussy about the interest rate) to 6 percent. Amazing. Our monthly payments drop by MORE THAN A THIRD and we got a line of credit that wipes out our humongous visa debt. I just sent checks to two visa companies for obscene amounts of money. I got this shivery "I'm Free! Free at last!" feeling as I wrote the amounts out. I am never no not ever going to live on credit again. Well, except for the line of credit itself, which will be wiped out when we sell the house.

This post would have been my first marked as "Usual Suspect." Just had to say that. Finally hit fifty only the board's not there to prove it. Waaah.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

Only a few hours left of Night 9/9. I can soon go home and sleep sleep sleep. My fiancé has promised me ice cream tomorow, and is making me a suprise dinner.

I can't wait!

-- Anonymous, August 18, 2002

I just got back from biking up to Trent and back with Chris. It's about 9km each way, most of it on a nice paved trail, and I didn't die, so I think I am going to be biking to work! Yay! Maybe I'll get back in shape.

We stopped at Tim Horton's on the way home and I have already eaten 3 doughnuts. This does not bode well for being in shape.

I also got a patio set today, and finished painting the kitchen.

I did not, however, do work on my thesis and this is a Bad Thing.

-- Anonymous, August 18, 2002

The video store was showing "The Nightmare Before Christmas", and I was practically dancing around in the aisles. Such a good movie, and it made me all happy.

-- Anonymous, August 18, 2002

Weather in Ireland is finally summer-like.....hazy sunshine and little humidity. Nice.

Also recovering from a huge lunch with Herself - stuffed 'shrooms, spaghetti all'amatriciana (double portion!), banoffee pie and capuccino. Gutbustmungous.

A few after-work pints will also be had, to boot!

-- Anonymous, August 19, 2002

Hazy sunshine and humidity? Weirdly enough, we are having the same summer, Neilo. Totally strange for us, but I'll take drizzle and haze over hot, dry, and windy any day. Postpones the seemingly inevitable fires.

OT: I'm enjoying being able to keep up with this camping-out version of the forum via email. The volume is light enough that it isn't swamping my inbox, I know I'm not missing anything, and I get a whole new and different view of everyone by seeing their email addresses instead of their user names.

The only drawback is what Kate mentioned a couple of days ago - it is easy to be lazy and just lurk. Not sure that is a drawback, really. I'm going to be swamped with work again this week.

-- Anonymous, August 19, 2002

My lips are chapped from too much smooching, and I'm going to lunch with a hottie (whom I haven't yet smooched) tomorrow. When it rains, it pours, baby.

At least it's distracting me from the million stories I'm supposedly writing today b/c no one has their shit together. But that belongs in the bitching thread.

-- Anonymous, August 19, 2002