OH MY GOD, IT'S 80 DEGREES
It's January and it's 80 freaking degrees outside. I guess this means I'm going to have to stop putting off getting the air conditioner in my car fixed.

also
I've got an awful crick in my neck.

i've been eagerly awaiting the chance to post this


Jon & Megan *

I held off until Megan gave the cue on her blog, but boy, is it hard to keep good news a secret! Many congratulations to a friend I love and admire, and the same to her fabulous Jonner.

*Can you see me now?

i told you you'd be jealous of my house
Where were you, thorough NYT readers - ahem, Fiscus - a month ago when my house appeared in the Times? My mom just got back from visiting Manhattan and brought with her a copy of the article*† Fred Brock had written about his move from the Big Apple to the Little Apple. There on page 10 of the real estate section are he and his wife standing in my old driveway! Crazy. (Said with the inflection and tone of Ben Fong-Torres as portrayed in Almost Famous.) Too bad the online archives don't include images.

typical east coast attidude
"While the move to Kansas was a financial plus, some of our New York friends seemed to think we were falling into a black hole somewhere west of the Hudson River. Living in a university town, however, has many of the cultural pleasures of the big city without the hassle or expense." - Fred Brock

*Requires registration.
†My house isn't mentioned until the 11th paragraph.

blast from the past
In honor of the release of William Shatner's collaborative CD with Ben Folds (that's one odd CD, folks), we at A Leaky Cauldron, of Sorts reflect on our first Ben concert.


Me, Ben Folds, Pat, Courtney.
(Don't Ben and I make a cute couple?) 

about the first cat i lived with
Cassie has a blog? Read the thoughts of the feline that gave me nightmares.*

*I woke up with a scream one night because I dreamed she was attacking my face. Thank God for Gus-with-thumbs (sweetest cat ever) or I would still distrust cats.

about that "AP style nazi" name
I might mention that my editor (my editor, the one in charge of setting the style for our mag) gave me 20 red pens and a sticky-note pad of AP style entries as my Christmas gift.

the last of the christmas pics
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day

the requisite end-of-year post
Yeah, so it's late. You should know me by now; I'm never on time. Except to work. There I'm the only one on time.

new in 2004
+ Black robes and that funny hat
+ Books on tape/CD
+ Engagements and broken engagements
+ NYC
+ Website creation (and later, demolition)
+ Short hair (I'm trying to grow it out again, but now it just looks like shaggy crap)
+ A grown-up wallet
+ Living with a cat who changed my opinions about cats.
+ OSX
+ PHX
+ No rent when living with the 'rents
+ A "real" job.
+ A 401(k)
+ Being called the "AP Style Nazi"
+ Business cards
+ Driving the mom-mobile green minivan
+ The Format
+ The Postal Service
+ An obsession with David Sedaris
+ Going over my cell phone minutes
+ A contribution to my local NPR station (I'm becoming more and more like my parents...)
+ Paying to work out at a gym (see: reasons why I miss MU)
+ Became rewarded Phoenix Film Festival judge
+ The FGHNGBCBC

some of those photos i promised you
The Brooks Family Christmas opening gifts before leaving for the actual holiday in California
Climbing Indian Rock exploring the natural side of Berkeley with little cousin Logan

More will come when I get around to uploading them.

christmas in california
I'm too lazy to upload all my Christmas pictures to Ofoto right now. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow or Saturday.

berkeley car game
Get two points for every Toyota Prius. One point for every Honda Civic Hybrid. Subtract 10 points from your opponent if you spot a Hummer.

Number of Priuses seen: lost count
Number of Hummers: one, on its way into San Francisco from the suburbs.

Reasons why Berkeley residents own Priuses:
+ Progressives (heart) the environment
+ Government incentives to help fight smog
+ Can't maneuver SUVs around the twisty streets
+ Neighbors would egg a military-inspired Hummer

more games
Match my answer with the question posed to me during the visit with the family.

1. "So, how's the editing job?"
2. "You don't believe everything that book [Jon Stewart's America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction] says, do you?"
3. "You grew up in Kansas. Tell us, why are Midwesterners so afraid of gays? We Californians got used to gays living together a long time ago."
4. "You like Harry Potter?"
5. "You know, this is a prime opportunity to say, 'You're not in Kansas anymore,' right?"
6. "How do you like the new job?"

A. groan
B. "Are you kidding me? I camped out for tickets to the first movie."
C. "Satire has a bit of truth, you know."
D. "I design. That is, I make the magazine look pretty."
E. "That's a very easy question with a very complicated answer varying on the day."
F. "You're preaching to the proverbial choir now."

books received as gifts this holiday season:
Longitudes and Attitudes by Thomas Friedman
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
Pappy's Boys: the Rose Bowl Years* edited by Sports Illustrated's Ron Fimrite and produced by my grandfather

Plus reading rights to my mother's Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, and my sister's Citizen Girl by the authors of The Nanny Diaries.

on the floor when i arrived home:
See no. three on Tim's blog (Dec. 29).

*Which, unfortunately, does not include this year