Five pertinent things

1) So it seems that Nikolas (currently to be referred to as "That Little *$%#@!," and I say that with all the love in my heart) has decided to permanently veto sleeping in his crib. He will willingly sleep if he is being rocked in Grandma's comfy recliner with someone sitting with him (this is highly important), but he will not allow himself to be put in his crib. Even if he has been snoring away soundly for two hours, if we attempt to move him, the instant he makes physical contact with his mattress his eyes will fly open, he'll throw out his hands and he'll wail, "Daddyyyyy!" or "Grandmaaaa!" or whomever else he feels like inflicting sleep deprivation upon. This has happened for six hour stretches two nights running, and if it lasts much beyond three I am going to start eyeing the Jack Daniels in the basement for medicinal purposes.

2) Just bought Elephant by The White Stripes today. In a few monosyllabic words, and pardon mon Franglais, fuck yeah. Hopefully, my compulsion to play "Seven Nation Army" over and over again will abate within the next fortnight or so. Needless to say, Abbey loves it too, because, and I quote my little angel directly, "It rocks!"

3) Also bought both Games and World of Puzzles [plugplugpluggityplug]. Not their best issues ever, but certainly worth the cover price, as always. I've got a cryptic in the main mag (for those of you who belong to mental_workout, I'd totally forgotten that I'd used one of the Beatles clues in a puzzle that I'd submitted eons ago; it's at 1 Across, edited to be much tidier by the magnifique Susan West). The majority of clues were totally rewritten, but I'll claim the alibi that I was still learning when I wrote it.

4) Kristi gave me the finger today. I don't thing I've ever seen her give anyone the finger. Y'know what? I rather liked it. (Yes, she was smiling and laughing at the time.)

5) What a wasted day. I hate wasted days. Especially wasted vacation days. Phooey.