happy fifth of mayo

I HAVE BEEN AWAY!!

Not actually AWAY away, I've been in Los Angeles for the past week, but the most things happened in the past eight days than . . . most eight day periods.

First there was the new subletter calling and telling me he took another place, and could you please rip up the security deposit and rent checks.

Then there was me calling back informing him that no, his check was already deposited in the bank because the rent agreement starts in TWO DAYS.

Then there was some rapid Craigslisting and phone calling and finding a Better! boy to move into our apartment. My new roommate is awesome. I'm going to call him Mike, because that's his name. Even though I keep wanting to call him Matt. He is tall and skinny and came with some fish and a turtle and today we went out to eat at Versailles. He is already a TOP NOTCH roommate because he offered to chip in for kitchen sponges and soap and called me from Ralphs to ask if I wanted to eat tortellini for dinner and showed us how we could replace the deadbolt on our front door so people can't get in with their credit cards. Stephanie's contribution to household harmony was posting a sign on the thermostat telling us not to leave the heat on.

After that, I got strep throat. So you can imagine that I did not work on my thesis much. Instead, I missed two days of school and took four naps on each day. I also went to the doctor and when she pulled out the giant Q-tip to scrape the back of my throat, I started crying, so she said I didn't have to take the test. I have a severe phobia of throwing up, which is somehow related to the swab test that makes you gag. But I got drugs anyways. I got a big 'ole container of pink penicillin. And a squirty syringe. I asked for the kid kind because I am a baby like that, I can't swallow big pills. But I forgot that it's amoxicillin that tastes like bubblegum and penicillin that tastes like poison, so I've been regretting my decision and thinking maybe I shouldn't have been such a pussy.

And actually at the same time as all this drama, we cancelled cable (YAY!!!) which made our internet go out for a few days. Thank God I have this darling little laptop, so that I could mooch wireless off of my neighbor "Matt" when I sat at the dining room table just so. Thanks Matt! Maybe one day we'll meet! Maybe I'll find out that's not actually your name, just the name of your internet network!

In case you are wondering, during my sick period I swallowed approximately thirty five extra-strength Tylenol and only choked on one.

Just now I went out for Cinco de Mayo with BJ, my Friend Who Takes Me To Really Cool Bars As If I Were His Girlfriend But I'm Not. We found an Italian restaurant that had a mariachi band and confetti and chips and salsa. Or maybe "Antonio's" is a Mexican name. In any case, we had fun trying to talk above the guitara / violin / trumpet / singer / loudgroupofgirlsnexttous. And we had drinks! BJ had two very strong Margaritas and was very slurry. I had a virgin pina-colada (antibiotics) which was the best pina-colada I have ever had outside of Mexico or my aunt Naomi's wedding. Then we did poppers, not the drugs, but those little plastic bottles where you pull the string and it POPS! and confetti flies out. Then we went back to his house and I made a long list of iTunes that he has to iBurn me.

Tomorrow I will work on my thesis in earnest for it is due in FIFTEEN DAYS. (I will also work on the tub of Ben and Jerry's in the freezer so that new roommate Mike has room to put his frozen goods. I am so considerate that way.)