Ok this picture was taken rather late in the party scheme of things--there were a bunch more folks there there, but this seems the part of the party that was most important. Anyways, I'll miss the Susman:

So I will attend a farewell party for Susman tonight with mostly the College folks. I bought him King's Skeleton Crew mostly out of the bad joke I've been taunting him with lately about watching out for Satanic clows driving mini-vans, and that I have some weird fixation with skeletons. (He is moving to Maine, you see.) The party is at colleague Paul's swanky condo near Emigration Canyon. (NB: Paul and Teresa do not live at This is the Place Monument, but they are very near there and the Zoo doesn't have any decent pictures.)

OK I usually don't "gush" about anything--but my various gods the Return of the King is one fine movie. Aside from a bit of heavy handed sentimentalism at the end, I think Peter Jackson actually outdid himself.

Things to watch for: grubby hobbits; drunken hobbits; giant elephants with drivers straight out of Road Warrior; stewards who can run at least a half mile while on fire; lines in the movie where "and bring back beer" could be added without much problem at all; cracking up about Elrond and how he should be commenting about "the smell"; and the best of the shire weed.

Oh and don't sit in front of 16 year old girls who giggle and squeal and say "he's so beautiful" any time Orlando Bloom comes on the screen. What's John Rhys-Davies? Chopped meat? Hee hee hee. I probably should have annoyed them back by cat-calling Miranda Otto (Eowyn). Ahh. Eowyn.

Woo hoo. Return of the King today. I bought the tickets weeks ago.

All you gentle readers out there should participate in the next shift.org project: A Day in the Life. It should be pretty cool, and a good reason to stay up for 24 hours, Come on, join in. You know you want to.

Last night I hung out with the now free John and Kendra. We talked and cleaned their house. It was quite enjoyable doing dishes with Kendra and watching her make a soup so spicy it could be used to clean chrome.

I think I shall get my hair whacked today. Maybe I should just shave it off.

Charkes found these two interesting pages:

• http://pp.motime.com/
• http://www.asofterworld.com/

Cool idears abound, eh?

I don't know why I resent being "set up" so much. Basically a friend of mine has been pestering me to go out with one of her friends, but the old grump in me has been rather kaflookity about it all. I'm still kind of decompressing from the previous relationship thing, you know, and really just want to be alone. Now not that there really isn't anything wrong with dating (despite how much I've bitched about it in the past), I just need to get some things straight in my noggin and get some things worked out financially before I really want to go on the quest again. Anyway--like I said--not that there is wrong with meeting new folks. I'm just annoyed at being force-fed this especially since I told my friend I would think about it. The next thing I know she has her friend calling me. Now that's a friendship foul in my book.

Anyway the conversation was quite terse last night because I had folks over, but I called her again this afternoon just to let her know I wasn't blowing her off at all--and that I won't be able to call her tonight because I have plans. In fact, I have plans ever single night this week.

I think what annoys me is that someone thinks I need to be "set up." I'll get my own, thank you very much.

God I can be a stubborn bastard when I want to be.