I disconnected my phone and cable today, and the finality of it prompted a minor weeping jag. After that, I waltzed with Social Security and transferred my money. I also made an appointment with the dentist for the 4th of August. I shudder at what he will no doubt find. I suspect he'll be booking that cruise to Veracruz. I've needed attention for years, but have possessed neither the funds nor the...

I opened my bank account today, and on Monday, I will begin the process of transferring Social Security to the new account. I also signed up for e-statements and automatic bill pay. This is new territory for me, as I've previously paid all my bills in cash. This should be a wonderfully liberating experience, but naturally, I'm paranoid about identity theft. There is so much left to do, but the ball...

I am here. I'm still not sure about this endeavor, but the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. We're in a lush mountain valley, not far from Lake Chatuge. It's twenty degrees cooler here, and quieter, and quite simply, tranquil. We had a blazing row this morning because of her teeth-gnashingly infuriating habit of changing plans on the fly. She told us that we could sleep until eight AM, and then...

My exodus from apartment hell has been delayed until Thursday because my mother wanted to wait until Papa Chris came home from a family trip, so here I still am. I wish I wasn't. I'm ready to be gone. I'm tired of the constant anticipatory adrenaline buzz, and of living the bizarre half-life of the U-Haul People. Most of my favorite things were packed days ago, when the move was supposed to be over...

- My lifetime immersion in horror served me well. My predictions as to the whys and wherefores of the murderous chicanery on Harper's Island were largely proven out, most notably Henry's bizarre incestuous infatuation with Abby. Henry's transformation from likeable, all-American hero to deeply damaged murderer was particularly well done, though I did find the revelation that Henry courted Trish solely...

No, my computer didn't implode. My life will be undergoing drastic changes. By Thursday, I will be living in a small North Carolina town, population three hundred. This has been a long time coming, but its impetus was sudden. From the beginning, then. Last weekend, we received notice that the utility company would need access to our apartment in order to replace the ancient gas lines. This caused...

I've just paid my pound of flesh to the utility company and want to weep. The utility rates here are stupefying. My pain continues tomorrow with the payment of the phone bill and the day after that with the tithing of the great god Comcast, without whom I am a disconsolate panda. On the bright side, it'll all be over on Wednesday, and I can budget for my weekly leisure outing, which usually constitutes...

Happy 4th of July! I love the traditional Americana of the 4th--cookouts and music and the visual splendor of the fireworks, but I hate the noise of it. Gimps aren't designed for sudden noises. Our nervous systems, miswired as most are, simply cannot handle the abrupt sensory input. Our overdeveloped startle reflex, which most folks master by early childhood, goes into overdrive. Once startled, it's...

One day, I will learn not to succumb to the lure of cheap horror movies. Inevitably, I am disappointed and wonder if God will credit me the time I wasted watching it. A few days ago, I snagged a film called Return in Red from Sam Goody for $9. Hey, I thought as I read the blurb, you can't go wrong with a film about government mind-control experiments conducted in a sleepy Indiana backwater. ...

Huh. I cleared my temporary Internet files, and now there's a note on my LJ update page that reads, "Note: the time/date above is from our server. Correct them for your timezone before posting." What? Additionally, when I scroll over the various clickable words at the top of the page, nothing drops down. Hovering over "Manage", for instance, does not produce options as it did before I cleared the cache...