Read on to find out where I might be, and try to contain your excitement.

"Famous is this place ..."

That's the very beginning of the alma mater of the school I work at, K-school (or "1stJob"). It's a great place to teach, if you can handle the challenges that come with a somewhat transient, culturally diverse community. More to come on this place called work.

Job description + shameless plug

2ndJob! It's everything I could ask for in a job: flexible hours, wonderful employers, people -- kids and adults -- that I'm proud to call my friends. Aside from the hard work that is keeping kids entertained for hours at a time, I cook, I clean (if I'm feeling nice or if I've made a mess, which is not uncommon), I tote a portable arts-and-crafts workshop and a library wherever I go, and on special request I open my petting zoo to my clientele. I also work cheap. Need a sitter?

Though, I would appreciate a nap here and there

T/R: Substitute teacher course (mandatory for anyone who wishes to sub in any capacity, mandatory for me because I'll be filling a long-term sub position in August, even mandatory for retirees who have taught a hundred thousand years and just want to supplement their Social Security with a few sub jobs here and there.) Taught at MCSA, aka Little Asia. Soon I'll be starting classes at the Lemonade Stand again -- my fourth quarter! For some reason that makes me giddy. And then I feel old and not so giddy anymore.

School makes me tired but it's just about the most important thing in my life right now (you know, aside from people.)

Hanging out at the hardware store

We cruise at Home Depot the way some people cruise Wal*Mart. HD is no longer 24 hours, but that's all right, we shouldn't be shopping for new rugs at 3 a.m. anyway. Eugene's Brother and I, both zodiacal crabs (except when he takes advantage of the cusp and decides to be a Gemini), are obsessed with our living spaces and like to prettify them with things we find under the big orange sign. Eugene's Brother works more outdoors -- he gardens and constructs huge duck pens and things like that. I actually like constantly fiddling with my indoor space so it always looks somehow different (easily bored, dontchaknow.) Most aesthetically pleasing yet logistically flawed purchase to date: Chrome "cubes" towers that don't actually hold anything useful.

Out fishing

PLAM -- Petland Ala Moana
KPL -- Kahala Petland
PP -- Pets Plus (Ward)
KP -- Kalihi Pets
Coral -- Coral Fish
PD -- Pet's Discount (Salt Lake)
Modern -- Modern Pets

We used to buy new fish with every Monday p.m. shipment at PLAM. Now that we are out of space and money, we still make regular trips to PLAM, PP, etc. for supplies and food to maintain the ducks, rabbit, turtle, cat, frog, and thousands of fish. The co-workers are always saying that he should go into vet medicine. Either that or work with kids, they say. But I digress. We always want new stuff but this kind of stuff requires full-time love as well as expensive food and housing, so we try to spend less on livestock and more on things like books and gardening equipment, stuff that doesn't get sad when you leave them lying around.

KP is for all-purpose crumble (poultry feed) and an occasional gawk at stuff other pet stores don't usually have (i.e. ducklings, large quantities of chinchillas, puppies, weird chickens.) PP is for worms and other live food for the aquatic pets. Coral is where we go to check out $300 tortoises and stuff like that. They are also the saltwater kings, and E's B likes their plant selection. KPL is near E's B's house, there's nothing really special there except maybe a larger and more organized selection of tanks and supplies. Also the "puppy swap meet" they hold on weekends, where breeders bring their babies to be sold. PD usually has a great selection of small fuzzy mammals like guinea pigs and rabbits, but see my note below (at *meow*) regarding pet acquisition. We used to go to Modern all the time, to get daphnia (waterfleas) but you have to reserve your order weekly. So one week we forgot to go, and then we kept forgetting and forgetting and now we can't show our faces there anymore!! Uh, actually, I doubt they even remember us, but we haven't been back in awhile anyway.

No unpurchased merchandise on the lanai

Or so they say. I always wondered why, but then Eugene's Brother clued me in: because people can throw the merchandise over the railing to their accomplices waiting below. People do that kind of stuff?!

Borders, aka the library in which you can eat, drink, and talk loud, is my favorite place to read books I can't afford. Actually, I can't tell the difference between Borders and B&N except that I have to drive farther to get to the latter. I go to Borders a lot. So much that people think "Borders" is my euphemism for something else. "'Borders,' huh. Have fun, wink wink?"

How crappy was it?

I go to a lot of crappy movies. Just have a knack for picking losers, I guess. Fortunately my date always has furikake up his sleeve, so he's a winner.

Yeah, they don't not call me the rock n' roll party queen for nothing. There must be something more exciting around here somewhere ...

*meow*

One of my absolute favorite places to visit on an idle weekend or whenever is the Humane Society. Now that McInerny dog park is open, parking is a bigger pain than ever, but it's a small price to pay for visitation rights. The Cat House is my first stop; I could sit in there all day. I'd own about twenty cats but then TJ would hate me. Not to mention the neighbors. PSA: Neuter or spay, and if you can, get your pet from the HHS or a responsible breeder!

At the Factory

Or anyplace that serves piping-hot spaghetti and/or piles of ravioli. I'm a fan of food in general, and the things I won't eat can be counted on one hand, I think: zucchini, chicken skin, mushrooms, most raw seafood, and straight-up lard (but add some artificial color, call it ice cream and I'm good to go.) Random favorite eateries: Old Spaghetti Factory, Greek Corner, Coco's, Cha Cha Cha Salsaria, Outback Steakhouse, any buffet in Vegas, Buca di Beppo, CPK, Pietro's, Big City Diner (late-nite menu). If you run into Eugene's Brother and me out somewhere, we will most likely be chewing something.

Girl-like

I come equipped with all girlie tendencies (I like pretty clothes, makeup, etc.), but am not equipped with the patience to coordinate and don most of that stuff. (To me, "separates" means a week's supply of t-shirts and a stack of all-purpose shorts. Mix and match.) Form must follow function, especially if you teach the lower grades. (To a kindergartener, the teacher's skirt is just an extra-long hand towel.) However, when I do rise to the occasion, here are my favorite places to shop: Cinnamon Girl, Banana Republic, Express, Sephora, Victoria's Secret, Esprit (especially outlet stores). Window shopping: Cache and Rafael. Basics/crap: Old Navy (love the famous $5 t-shirt), T&C, Jeans Warehouse, Costco.

This page is obviously under construction. As I continue on my ever-expanding quest to get a life, I'll add things that seem appropriate. And as I sell more and more of my soul back to school, I'll likely be deleting a few things as well.