Extra heavy

This post is dedicated to Nell.

Q: What's more yucky than a gallon of mayonnaise?

A: A gallon of mayonnaise that bills itself as "Extra Heavy."

I saw this in the wee hours of this morning in a fast food restaurant that also sells some Middle Eastern teas and canned goods, along with industrial-sized condiments.

Retail therapy

How awesome is this bag?

I've begun to worry that maybe I'm developing a purse fetish. Which is ironic since I didn't buy my first purse until my 23rd birthday, when I decided it was time to quit schlepping my stuff around in a canvas bag. And now look at me: so many bags they barely fit on the back of my closet door anymore. I go into TJ Maxx to buy clothes, and I end up with a bag that costs as much as three tops.

So, I'm kind of a materialist. But at least I'm a materialist with a really exciting sapphire bag.

Bus

Yesterday morning I woke up at 8:00 (as my body still seems to feel that six hours at a time is more than sufficient), and decided to go to the 10:00 tae kwon do class. My bus was early and I had to run to catch it at a light. Once on board I felt around in my bag for my wallet... and felt... and rumaged... and it wasn't there. I had no Smartrip card and no money. I briefly contemplated trying to talk the driver into giving me a free ride, but then how would I get back? The tkd studio is miles from my apartment. So, without giving any explanation, I got off at the next stop, walked back home, and headed down to the basement to workout on the elliptical machine.

Circadian rhythms

For about two weeks now I've had trouble sleeping. It takes me forever to get to sleep, and then sometimes I wake up in the wee hours and have to start all over again. I don't know why this is--I certainly don't have jet lag. It's as though my body has suddenly decided that it only wants to sleep in the afternoon. And no, insomnia detectives, my problem is not an excess of naps: I think I've taken a grand total of two naps during this sleepless phase.

The strange thing is that while I've been tired, I haven't really been more tired than usual during the day. Which leads me to wonder if I've suddenly started needing less sleep. I remember thinking around the time I started watching Heroes on DVD that if I could pick a superpower, I'd want to be able to go without sleep. Think about it--you could pack two lifetimes' worth of activities into one! But I also distinctly remember thinking that this would only be a good power if I could sleep when I wanted to, because I like sleeping. Hear me, careful-what-you-wish-for gods?

Signs

CityPaper
Originally uploaded by ChezShawna

You know you live in Washington when... this is the cover story on your weekly paper.

If you're curious what the reasons are, the full article can be found here. I haven't actually read it yet, but something tells me it's intended for mature audiences.

Ithaca is far

I rented a car and went to Ithaca over Labor Day weekend. I hadn't been since January, and decided I'd better make it up for the last weekend of summer. I saw NCSV and Deano and Nell and Jepetto, who'd just gotten his Ph.D. that week. Also some people who don't have names on my blog (yet). And I visited some of the places I've missed, like the Chapter House and the Carriage House and the Commons and (to be a stereotypical girl for a second) the shoe section at Bon-Ton.

Interestingly, almost as soon as I reached the Ithaca city limits I noticed I'd grown bossier. I don't think I'm very bossy in DC, but I'm rarely shy about telling my Ithaca friends what to do. Maybe the move has been good for me...