These two weeks, sandwiched between vacations to ensure that nobody feels sorry for me, are ridiculously busy. For one thing, I took on two different classroom programs. One of them was last week, every single morning on the Berkeley campus. The other one is a couple of mornings this coming week. Frequently I will go straight from there to Starbucks, where I will then work until ten or so. Lather, rinse, repeat.

You may ask why I agreed to teach more classroom programs when I had such a difficult experience last time? Well I need the money, for one thing. (My student loan deferral has not yet gone through, which I figured out by looking at my bank balance and saying Oh, fuck...)

For another thing, thankfully, the teaching experience has gotten a lot better. The program I taught last week was wonderful. It was part of an outreach program for under-represented students, to help them get into college. There was a teacher in the classroom to make sure they behaved themselves and participated and were respectful, and I had a great time. Miles better than the last classroom experience I had. There were even two Moniques in the class! Right on, Moniques.

I also got my first batch of students for this year, and most of them have wanted to squeeze in a lesson (or, god help me, more than one) before I leave for vacation. So I have one-on-one students most day this week also, squeezed into what was formerly known as lunchtime. There is no lunch. I will be happy when my paycheck arrives, but I have been working nonstop, seriously.

I'm also working on another project for work, preparing for the big conference call on Wednesday. It's crunch time on that, and I feel like I am running out of time to get everything that I'd like to accomplish, accomplished. This is probably me being a perfectionist, though.

Also this week I have shifts at Starbucks, a birthday party, a possible pirate party, a friend coming to town unexpectedly, a Weight Watchers meeting, and a trip to the dentist. I should also get a haircut, but I don't know if that's going to happen.

Especially since I still have to do laundry, clean, pack, find my passport, and oh yeah-- plan my entire vacation. I still have no idea: A) how I'm getting to London or B) where I will stay once I'm there. I guess I'm not too terribly worried because last time I was in Holland, we planned our mini-break to Paris totally at the last minute, and it worked out fine! I am sure this will be fine too. I will just be spontaneous.

It hasn't even registered with me that I am going to see my sister, brother-in-law, nieces, and nephew. Not to mention the rest of my family. When I stop and think about it I get very excited, but I keep forgetting to stop and think about it.

Last week was the same as this week, filled with work, appointments, so-on, so-forth. I did partake in a couple of Fun Events, though!

Pamie was in town to do a book reading and signing. I wish I had taken a picture of the table they had set up when you walked into the bookstore, because there was a stack of her books and a big poster with her face on it, and it was all tremendously impressive. (She took pictures of similar impressive displays. They are all here.)

The little "events loft" was packed with people (at least ten million, I'd say, but I'm bad at judging these things) and the guy working at Barnes & Noble was clearly in love with Pam and had written her a poem, which he read (twice!) before the reading started. And Pamie was the shit, of course, as anybody who has seen her perform can attest.

So I got to catch up with Pamie and also stee and Evany-- who I have no excuse for never seeing considering that we live in the same city-- and Meghan. On Saturday I also went to a mini-Boozecon, met the infamous Armless Monkey, and hung with my peeps: Jenfu, Jen Wade, pinky, Ian, and Pete. Yes, I know many internet people.

After pondering the above for a while, I realize I had a really fantastic time with all of these people, but have nothing to say about any of it. I must protect the innocent, and the sordid, squalid memories of the special times we shared. Instead, I will end this entry by giving you some entirely random information!

1. When I went rafting, we went right past Sutter's Mill, where the first gold in California was discovered. We missed seeing it from the river, though, because we were having a water fight with the people in the next boat.

2. I made Bruce stop by the mill on our way out of town, despite being very short on time, because I cannot be that close to informational signs and/or historical sites and not stop. The detour did not disappoint.

3. When I get home from work, I often walk into the garage, strip off all my coffee-clothes, and do my laundry in the nude. I walk all over the house gathering my clothes, and then I throw them in the washing machine gingerly, in order to avoid pressing my boobs against the cold washing machine. Because: brr!

4. So far, nobody has caught me strolling around the house naked. It is, however, only a matter of time.

5. I can't say much about this because of the identities of the parties involved, but I got the coolest tutoring gig ever. I am going to be doing an intensive three-day tutoring session in [resort town] and I will be getting a hotel room for the weekend, a meal stipend, and enough money to reimburse me for my time. Also: a writer's getaway! I am entirely looking forward to this.

6. I have to thank reader Yvonne, who sent me an entirely unexpected CD from my wish list. Dar Williams! Thanks, Yvonne! I can't wait to listen to this while biking, except that I need time to go biking. Also a CD player would be helpful.

7.

8. Jen Wade stole a poster from her lab. It lists all the chemical elements, and Molybdenum is featured prominently. It is now hanging in my bathroom.