Author: Stacy Horn

Buddy only talks to me for two reasons: when he wants food and when he wants pets.

It’s never, “I’m really sorry for allowing that waterbug to fly in your face that time. I still feel just awful about it.”

I love when he does this, covering his face with his paw. Except while I’m saying, “Who’s the cutest cat in the whole wide world,” he’s probably saying this.

Maybe. Not exactly Hurricane Katrina, is it?

Whatever is left of hurricane Earl will hit this afternoon. It’s probably going to be nothing but a little rain, alas. While I don’t want destruction it would be fun to have a little weather drama.

I can’t get over that today is my last day. I can’t get over that by tomorrow all my time will be my own again. I can go to the library day after day after day. I can write as long as I want to. I won’t have to stop to run to work. I cannot freaking wait.

This is Fulton Street, a half a block from the Census office. It was shut down yesterday for a suspicious package. The cops looked bored. I remember after 9/11 listening to the police radio. Every few minutes there was another report of a “suspicious package.” Seriously, it was continuous. I listened and wondered how they dealt with it. There wasn’t enough cops in all New York City to investigate every call.

My last day at the Census is Friday. TOMORROW. Tomorrow!!! They just let us know yesterday. Thank you thank you thank Dept. of Commerce, you were a life-saver and I am very grateful, but I am so going to wallow in being able to write full-time for a little while.

Except I am going to take next week to have a Staycation.

A bunch of us from the Census went out to dinner last week. I conked out early actually, but they went on from here for a night of drinking and karaoking. I loved the dinner place. Cowgirl Seahorse. It was on the very end of Front Street, basically under the Brooklyn Bridge, in a spot that still has that old New York feel I love. The vibe was friendly, the food good, definitely recommended.

7:52 Live from the Red Couch-ette: Finn! I couldn’t get him to look at me.

I’m only barely paying attention to the pre-show, which I usually enjoy so much. People who looked fantastic that I noticed: Lea Michele and Tina Fey. Probably a lot of other people looked great, but I haven’t really been watching.

6:20 Update: Watching True Blood and the E! Red Carpet show at the same time. Not really paying attention to anything.

– Read two People magazines and one More.
– Exercised (couldn’t help myself, I was feeling too slug-like).
– About to watch one of two episodes of True Blood.
– Agonized about jeans shopping all morning and went with, “fuck it.” Fuck it means no more shopping. I’m going to stick with what I got yesterday.
– Food consumed so far: an apple, brown rice and broccoli, dark chocolate, walnuts and dried cranberries. Will be eating crappier food later.

The landlord is at long last working on repairing the roof (and they took down my bird feeder, so now I just spread it on the ground), but my concern is that decades of water leaking into my ceiling might have created mold up there which they are just covering up and not addressing. I sometimes smell this musty smell in the back of the apartment.

I will be back to post live updates of the rest of my day off. That’s the plan anyway.