Here’s what I did: Dance class, put together and sent my cousin a college freshman care package (condoms, pre-stamped postcards, CDs, incense, lighter, “stay off the grass” sign, get out of jail free card, two rolls of quarters), wrote an 8 great column, coughed up lung butter, went to Bumbershoot where I saw Jamie Lidell (I agree with Dre: stop twiddling the knobs and sing, you twat!), Roller Derby, and stood in line for half an hour only to be turned away from a comedy show of Trapped in the Closet, watched the first half of Arrested Development Season 3, swept the entire house, scraped the kitchen floor and then mopped it, picked up rotting asian pears from the lawn, wiped down windowsills, patted Dre’s head when he came down with my cold, went to Phyllis‘ going away party (she’s headed to Washington, DC to work for NPR!), hosted visiting Portlanders Esther and her friend Trina (who lived on Bainbridge for a while and knows a bunch of my high school classmates), watched Friends With Money, went to Olympus Spa for six hours (soaked, scrubbed, self-medicated). The weekend ended with an hour long conversation with my mother as I got ready for work this morning.

As for today? It’s my first official day as a permanent employee of Jobster. After eight months of contracting, I decided I might as well become an employee. I keep my four-day workweeks and gain benefits and stock options, so why not?