Exhibits A, B & C

Let's get the bad news right out of the way. Somebody smashed into our car Thursday night while it was parked directly in front of the apartment. It was in a corner parking spot, and was hit hard enough to move up about 8 feet and into the car parked two spots ahead. Ian discovered it in the morning - we officially sleep like the dead. The offending car left their grill and nice neighbors left notes wrapped in plastic wrap. (Exhibits A, B & C)

Astro (named by Kristen, "like the dog and the turf!") is officially totaled and we say goodbye tomorrow. The bright sides: I was determined to drive Astro until he fell apart on the highway, leaving pieces between Mobile and New York. This is surely safer. Also, Steve generously offered his old car to us after he heard the whining growl of Astro's engine in December. In a few weeks we will drive it up from Atlanta and brand it with an Obama sticker if it doesn't already have one. (I am trying not to read too much into the cracked and broken face of our favorite president.) 

On to good things, like the above picture of my first ever received McSweeney's subscription. Inside is Wholphin No. 12, and I can expect three more issues & four quarterlies this year(ish). They are an awesome Christmas present, and now I can't resist finally subscribing to Believer soon too. 

Despite officially working five days a week like the average schlub, I still get a lot of activities done. I was always the high schooler who stayed every afternoon for some club or team and not much has changed. This week I finished an elaborate mix CD I've been making for Kristen. You can read about it here. It will be followed by about five other packages I'm trying to put together, including my broken chair leg to my mother. Opening the mail is my absolute favorite part of the day, no joke, and I'm trying to increase my postal karma.  

For Rittenhouse Needlepoint I've been working on beefing up our social networking. This week I got our tumblr account rolling, and am personally filling it with things I'm attracted to in the shop. It's my completely biased, photo work blog, and I love it. Look at it here.

Sunday I had the PCB exhibitions committee over for a brunch meeting & had fun setting the table for my first girls-only event at the new place. I meant to take pictures, but highlights included Gma's tea cups, saucers, sugar bowl & creamer, Weaver breakfast casserole with soysage & mushrooms, and skillet berry cornmeal cake. It was productive and fun, and I felt like Emily Gilmore in her garden with the DAR. 

I made cradles again today at APS. I have probably two more days of work to do there, spread over a few weeks. It's extremely satisfying to get paid to do something you love, that you're good at, on the hallowed ground of our forefathers. An oasis in the post grad school doldrums. Other shiny things from the week: finishing Angela's Ashes, Bottomless Belly Button, watching Apocalypse Now, Blow-Up, Trop Belle Pour Toi, and drinking Dock Street's Firkin of the Month, Prisoner of Hell.