Fear of calling.

I feel like some calm, but strong, invisible hand is gently squeezing my trachea and bronchi where they meet, making it hard to feel like I'm breathing as deeply as I should. I think this is what they call asthma. I'm sure it's allergy-related, further agitated by air pollution and anxiety.

Yeah, anxiety: I'm going to interview people for some little writing pieces. I am, of course, terrified of doing so, and my head is adept at making up reasons to put it off. None of them are good reasons, but I'm not good at convincing myself of the superiority of sucking it up. It shouldn't be hard--I just have a few questions to elicit enough for a <150-word, positive profile; it's basically free publicity for these business owners. For a lot of reasons, I can't squirrel out of it, much as my defense mechanism-addled brain wants to. I know this is beyond stupid. I know that once I actually DO it, I'll be glad I did. I just have a very active, phobia-fueled imagination.

Besides which, I absolutely need the money. That ought to be enough to compel me. Stupid phobia.

By the way, the job market? Sucks.

There goes the invisible hand again...

A little thing I'm actually doing...

My good friend Steve threw me a freelancing bone last week, so now I am contributing to this movie news page. My name isn't attached to stuff (at the moment; I don't know if that will change), but it's something. And it's kinda fun! Who knew that IMDb internship would ever be useful for anything?

Go check out the site; ad revenue FTW! Well, someone's win, anyway.

Before you forward that funny link...

Please, take a moment to see if you're waaaaay behind on your Internet memes.

A fascinating read, really, and easy access to all your old favorite viral videos. I, for one, was happy to see "Gonads and Strife" again.

I may not enjoy the sun, but pretty flowers sure do.

hibiscus 'cherie' in bloom
Originally uploaded by emily ca..

Frak, these things are gorgeous. But the blooms are a one-night-only deal, so I'm trying to document each one. What, it's better than steamed up shots of the pasta I'm cooking for lunch, right?

"We're napping. Go away...unless you have treats."

sleepy bunnies
Originally uploaded by emily ca..

If only the picture I took of them practically spooning turned out... all you could see was fluffy tail and 'tocks (a la Cute Overload). Funny how they choose places under the furniture where the lighting is poor--clearly they're not camwhore bunnies.

I think I've found the perfect job.

Too bad the Craigslist community violated the hiring manager's FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS by flagging it for removal!

Writer-Interviewer Wanted for New Marin NewsPaper (san rafael)

We are introducing to Marin-ites an alternate to the BIAS-LADEN
Independent Journal. We will seek to print the truth about the MYTH of GLOBAL Warming- The PLIGHT of Illegal ALIENS on our Local Culture-Interview
County Officials about the Sanctuary Law that could lead to the tragedy played out recently in GANGSTER-FRIENDLY San Francisco! AND MORE!

We need an enthusiastic female with interview skills that can and will be developed. We also need a devoted male writer with expressive verbal talent.

The only qualification is that you are between 18 and 80 and that you have not been brainwashed with vicious Left-wing propaganda. One of our first stories will be about the rights of those to protest against the left and why it's not considered HATE-FULL to be spit upon and called vulgar names by liberals.

For the LEFTIST STALINIST Hitlarian Type that finds this HATEFULL---
AND would Flag It.....it is YOU who is the HATEFULL One ---
starting with your HATRED for the TRUTH

contact EIC LC
@ [phone redacted] OR E-mail your contact info with a brief description about why you are interested----again! DO NOT VIOLATE MY 1st AMENDMENT AND FLAG!

Two thoughts, after I stop laughing: putting aside the thought that people will flag this because it's purposely inflammatory, stating gender preferences for hiring is kind of illegal. Plus, Craigslist is private, so the first amendment doesn't apply.

The logic (and the spelling) are astonishing.

Save the beef, skip a shower.

The vegan boyfriend and I were checking out a new vegetarian restaurant in the lovely Milpitas Square yesterday, one affiliated with the downtown San Jose institution Vegetarian House and the cult-y Supreme Master Ching Hai. You can always tell a Supreme Master restaurant by the ubiquitous flatscreen TV playing only Supreme Master TV, and we are both amused and distracted by its 20-language subtitling and save-the-world rhetoric every time.

I mean, you guys know me: vegetarian for environmental reasons, pretty staunch about it but not to the point of being an asshole. Kevin: basically the same, but with more of an issue with harming animals. (Except insects. Insects can suck it because honey tastes good!) And on that level, we are pretty pro-Supreme Master peeps, with their new "Be Green, Go Veg" campaign. And if not go veg, well, eat veg more often. Y'all know; I don't have to preach.

But really. There's no need to fiddle with funny statistics to make your point.

One of the SMTV stories the other day regarded water consumption and raising cattle. According to a very amusing animated infographic, four Quarter Pounders use the same amount of water to produce as you would use in half a year's showers. Well, we don't eat Quarter Pounders, but we do shower. Every day.

We have to save the ground beef, Kevin said to me. Let's stop taking showers.

People already think we're dirty hippies anyway.

--

P.S. Already can't wait to see what kind of Supreme Master comment spambot I'll attract with this post.