when is a grocery store like a penguin?

1. I'm tired on a few levels. Basically it boils down to a couple kinds of bad timing, a lurking cold that refuses to get better or worse, and being burnt out from attempting my schedule during all those things. March Break could not have fallen at a better time except for perhaps this week, which would have been great, because I'm very, very tired now, and because Michelle and Scott are home for the week; I ought to be around for about 24 hours while they're still home. At least we're planning for them to come up later this month for a visit.
Luckily, my classes are more reasonable this week, though honestly I could do without oodles of Latin homework. I seem to remember a time in university when hours of homework every day was unheard of... still, I suppose there's no shortage of ways it could be worse.

2. On a more pleasant note, some things make me smile:

• I have been noticing a rather neat phenomenon more and more this winter: mitten rescue. On the walk from the grocery store to my house (which is mainly through little one way streets and side roads) there are a few fenceposts with mittens on them, from people rescuing lost mittens and propping them up somewhere visible nearby so they can be reclaimed. It is a nice reminder that sometimes people are considerate, and sometimes people value objects enough to try to avoid wrecking them, even when they aren't theirs.
• On Sunday, Sean and I stopped in the Victory Meat Market for a couple of things. It's a locally run grocery store that Sean likes to compare to a penguin - awkwardly designed, but charming. As we were standing in line at a checkout an older man got in line behind us and stood there for a moment before addressing me. He looked at Sean and then at me, and said, "Do you like his whiskers?" I blinked, and realized that Sean was maybe looking a little whiskery, though usually strangers notice the tattoo on his head first. I said, "I don't mind them." He laughed and said, "I've been married for forty-four years and my wife wouldn't stand for it!"
• I've started a new pair of lace socks from this pattern and this yarn: They're my first real toe-up socks and I'm enjoying them. Yes, they're 45% bamboo fibre - stronger and more breathable than cotton, and a sustainable resource that doesn't require clearcutting. And soft. :)
  

3. Michelle has sent me here, which is an awesome webcomic sort of thing.
4. Crazy SL pictures time! Sometimes when I'm minding my own business building stuff on my land, people actually show up and talk to me. Ick. Actually, I know my Second Life neighbours marginally better than I know my real neighbours, which is kind of weird. Once or twice, though, the people who show up are utterly random, like this weird Rasta guy:

Or this dancing monkey, who simply danced at me for a while before informing me he was German and flying away:

Once in a while, I try to teleport to a store or tutorial and accidentally end up places I don't mean to be, like randomly popping in a fairly busy club:

(Yes, clubbing seems to be a huge deal in SL. It probably drives a lot of the ventures that actually pay money, like fashion design.)
The adventures have been kept to a minimum, really - most of my time is spent building and designing. I've been making plans as to the easiest way to market things - it's shockingly easy. SL is reaching the point as an MMO where it will either explode into popularity or suddenly burst and vanish. Obviously I hope for the former, but I haven't invested much money in it (just $10) and it's been ridiculously quantities of hours of fun already.

5. What can I say... it's Tuesday, so I'm trying to do homework while Sean is in class; he has class today from 5:30 to 10, so he ought to be home soon. We're having salmon tails and asparagus and mushroom and potatoes when he gets in, which I am looking forward to greatly.