Rosey's Diary: Lessons From (Temporary & Planned) Displacement

Displacement sucks. I am going to start this post with many caveats: I am in no way suggesting I understand the experiences of the unhoused or of people displaced by flooding, fire, or other natural disasters. My property manager gave us ample warning that our apartment needed to be inspected, that the stairs subsequently failed that inspection and they would need to be rebuilt. When he let us know we would have to have the stairs completely rebuilt, I asked if at the very least it would be possible to schedule while Toby is in Finland on a foreign-exchange program, which he was able to accommodate. So I knew construction was coming, my house is still my home, and eventually I will get to be back home and everything will be better and back to normal. Fingers crossed. Or better than normal as I will no longer have death-trap stairs that I tripped on somewhat regularly and were at risk of steps corroding at any moment. But still, I've learned some lessons and I wanted to share. Or vent. Or whine. Or whatever. After the jump. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, August 23-Wednesday, August 30, 2023: Listings To Come

I just wanted to do a quick post to let you know listings will NOT be posted at 6am on Thursday. I spent Wednesday at a Memorial for a close family friend and I lost steam afterward and couldn't finish. I'm halfway done with listings for the week and I hope to have them up before the afternoon, but I desperately need sleep. Sorry for the inconvenience. 

I love you. 
Stay safe out there. 

Edward J Bystrak: Services and Some Words About Dad

Hi Everyone. 

Thanks for all the continued well wishes regarding the loss of my Dad. Public services are going to be held this Friday, May 12. There will be a mass at St. Pius X Catholic Church at 11am, followed by Interment at Miramar National Cemetary at 1pm. After 3pm, we'll be having an open house/reception at the family home in Chula Vista. Please reach out if address is needed, I can be messaged on socials or text me if you have my number. 

It is so hard to write about my Dad in any kind of way that really gives the picture of his full life and character, but I finally overcame the anxiety of such a task. You can read after the jump if so inclined. 

This week we'll be welcoming tons of family and friends from out of town and I'll do my best to still do listings...maybe it will actually be a good distraction... but please know that I'm still seeing all the messages and appreciate all of the love and they are being warmly received by my entire family. 

xoxo

Rosey's Diary: A Post About Dying: Grief, Relief, and The Complicated Feelings Of Loss.

Me, Mom, and Dad, Christmas 2021

It has been a long time since I've taken the time to write. I have this crazy long zoo post that I started over a year ago that I've yet to post. In it, I talk about how several of the animal daddies (hippo, orangutan, siamang, lion, mandrill) were dying, and it it was helping me come to grips with the reality that soon, I would lose my own. And now I have and I needed to write. So maybe I'll post that zoo one on another day, but for now, a diary post about losing my dad. (TW: death, dying)

Personal: R.I.P., Daddy: Big Ed Bystrak

 

After years of close calls and over a year under home palliative care, on Sunday, April 9th, 2023 my dad took his final breath. Just last week, my parents celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary, and while my dad was bedbound, the rest of us celebrated with a feast from a local taco shop and one of those chocolate mousse tuxedo cakes from Costco. A week later, he's no longer with us. 

More, after the jump.

Personal: RIP Melissa Hayes Bystrak

Help Melissa’s Family - Gone too soon - GFM

I'm sitting in a restaurant in New Mexico with my brother, his kids, my sister, and her kids. This was a rushed trip. My sister in law, Melissa Hayes Bystrak, died on Saturday, March 25, just before 3am. 

Taken 10.2.22

Here's my post about it all: 

We got the news this week that my sister-in-law wasn't doing well; that after a long fight with breast cancer and the pain of numerous reconstructive surgeries, that the cancer was back and had spread to her spine and other areas of her body. While it was many months and years of pain for her, the diagnosis of the spread was new to us on Thursday and by Friday she was hospitalized and heavily sedated. My sister flew out to New Mexico as did Melissa's dad and twin sister; her mom had been with her for some time already. They all arrived in time to be with her say goodbye and just before 3am our time, we got the news that she had passed. 

Melissa was only 44 years old and leaves behind my brother, her husband of more than 2 decades, and three amazing kids, Gabe, Gia, and Evan. At this point, my plan is to drive my nieces to New Mexico to support their cousins in this time of immeasurable grief. Their whole world is rocked. Our whole world is rocked. Melissa was a brave warrior in her battle but in the end it was too much for a body to take. We love you so much, Liss. Sleep in peace, Sister.

Rosey's COVID-19 Diary: Getting Through The Big Sick

 

FlowFlex Test on July 15, 2022

I'm hoping I'm at the end of my COVID-19 experience. I believe that I was exposed on July 2nd. That day I sat in an AT&T store with Nova until I got fed up with the poor customer service and drove to another, where getting a new phone set up took a little over an hour inside, we were the only ones wearing masks. That day we also went to Costco...I went in the store while Nova waited in the food court. That night I worked at the 411 show at the Casbah and as I've said, I was mostly masked but definitely had some unmasked conversations with a few friends on the patio. Any of these places could've been my exposure. 

However, it is also possible my exposure was at the San Diego Zoo. It's the only place I go with regularity, I had gone on July 3rd and July 4th. I had gone nearly every day before July 2nd, except for July 1, when I went to the Safari Park with Darren. I could've been exposed there, but I doubt that. I was almost never near other people and wear a mask whenever people are close, and sometimes even when they're not.

Whatever the case may be, I got COVID-19. All my experiences and how I'm getting through it, after the jump. 

Rosey's COVID-19 Diary: In The Home Stretch? When To End Isolation | Omicron Subvariants Still Spreading | Governor Newsom Signs Gun Law | Humane Society Waives Adoption Fees | Little Blue Penguins Debut |

 

Indah and Kaja, Screenshot From San Diego Zoo Apecam (Captured 7.13.22) 

I feel like I'm in the home stretch of this COVID-19 isolation. Darren had the past couple of days off, so we were mostly minding our separate spaces, being creative to eat with one another at opposite ends of a long outdoor table. But at some point, you kinda just realize it's easier to isolate completely than wondering if any encounter is going to be the one the spreads this nasty virus. I'm trying to follow the advice of professionals, but when all of that is conflicting, at some point you just have to go with consensus: I am wholly symptom free, I haven't used a fever reducer in over 24 hours (and at that, it was for my cramps, not a fever or headache), and I feel pretty great. I have a handful of home tests left, but now I don't know if using one today, on my 8th day, is a waste of a test, a get out of jail card, or does it set me back to the idea that I'm isolating through Friday if I'm following the CDC, or Monday if I'm following the WHO...or am I isolating until a completely negative test, which could be even longer? These are all the things every single person is left with deciding for themselves when you become COVID-19 positive and it really, really sucks. And it shouldn't be this way. We had an abundance of tests because we took advantage when the government was sending them out, but to be honest, rather than free tests, I don't understand why those costs haven't been driven down. If tests were $2-$3 a piece instead of $10-$15, this virus would not be so out of goddamn control because people would be testing a whole lot more.  

I have been in this studio for many, many hours by myself these past two weeks and while I still have a ton of cleaning and projects, I'm dying to go to the San Diego Zoo. I've been watching the cams, but obviously it's not the same as being there and I can't wait to just be able to leave the gates of this property for any reason. But mostly I wanted to write to thank everyone who has reached out, and just appreciate that all those anxieties I had in the beginning are mostly squashed, I'm still alive, and though long-COVID symptoms or reinfection will kinda always buzz me in the back of my brain, I'm not quite so freaked out about any long-term issues from this particular illness this time around. I'm still not able to help my dad, that is the one situation where I will wait until I'm fully negative to see him and my mom. 

For now, I'm in good spirits, I'll put this dumb cot away until tonight, and I'm going to go back upstairs so that my animals know that I haven't abandoned them. I may emerge into the world sooner rather than later. I've never really been known for my will power. 

Stay safe out there. 

Rosey's COVID-19 Diary: Eternal Isolation

Amahle The Hippo (Taken 6.17.22)

It's Sunday afternoon. Counting time is weird. I guess it was premature of me to test at 1:21pm today if my day zero was Tuesday after 6pm. But as I expected, I am still very positive on home tests. Like sometimes when you take a home test, you have to look at the line to see if you're still positive, the line can be so faint. And apparently other times, when it knows it knows, and even 5 minutes before the 15 minutes was up, there was that ugly purple line. 

It is so upsetting. But then I Googled because that's what everyone would do, right? Even if you've been reading STAT News and Med-Twitter and Becker's and CIDRAP and and everything from Dr. Wachter and Dr. Jha and Dr. Topol, and been getting at least a dozen daily COVID-19 specific newsletters for months on end, when it comes down to it, when it happens to you, you want to know as much as you can. Like am I still contagious? Do I still have to isolate? And the answer is very much YES to both. Indulge my misery, after the jump. 

COVID-19: It's Okay To Be The Only One Masking | Election Day: Vote On Tuesday! | Balboa Park Disaster And Other Personal Rants |

Squirrel Monkeys at San Diego Zoo Explorers Base Camp (Taken 6.6.22)

I am super exhausted and I thought I was going to spend my night writing a big post about the San Diego Zoo since their hours are finally changing  --on Fridaythey extended hours to be open until 8pm but starting on Wednesday, they'll be open until 9pm, but this post took a little longer than planned, I'm exhausted, and there's construction on El Cajon Boulevard at the moment so it's a little hard to 'think happy thoughts' when the most obnoxious noise is permeating the neighborhood. So instead of a full post at the moment, I will just share this little secret with you: Tuesday, June 7, is going to be the best day to go to the San Diego Zoo until the end of summer. Tuesdays are typically the least busy day of the week, they're open until 8 but acclimating some of the animals to the later 9pm time so animals are staying out a little later, including the primates who I think historically would still go in early despite the later hours. If you have a membership, trust me. Tuesday is the day to go. Today I got to spend 2 hours almost entirely alone with the gorillas, who didn't end up going in until 7. And also, there are new Lion Maned Tamarins in the aviary next to the orangutans. I haven't seen them yet, but I will be stalking them, for sure. Maybe I'll see you there. 

Stay safe out there. 

2020 Diary & Photos: Lists Of Everything That Kept Us Thriving, Sane, and Finding Joy In This Year of Chaos

My birthday was one of many summer trips to San Diego Zoo (Taken 9.28.2020)

I started this post in August, and then things started opening up again and I thought that it was no longer relevant, but as everyone gets around to their end of year lists and reflecting on the year, I thought I'd revisit and finish the post once and for all....after the jump.

Rosey's Diary: Ch-ch-changes

Photo by Tim Fears

I seriously hate when people post vague messages or cries for help on social media. "Send good thoughts" or whatever just irritates the shit out of me without an explanation. In that spirit, I thought I would share, long story short, that I am no longer with DoSD nor at the Observatory.

For the short story long version, I'll start with DoSD. Ultimately, DoSD is continually growing and Marjy has set up an office in North Park with a handful of interns each school semester. When I was hired, it was with the intent to work 15-20 hours a week. After nearly a year, however, they need someone full time who can share in the management of the office, and with my schedule with Nova and my family and other work, it just wasn't feasible to move forward. It was agreed I'd finish out the month of October so now that's passed. I totally support what they're doing with DoSD and there's no bad blood at all, and I think Marjy is going to make it a powerful site and app for San Diego.

Meanwhile, I was recovering from the big Halloween Bash at the Lafayette last night but had to go meet with my Observatory manager at some point today. Since Nova's piano lesson is in South Park, I dropped her off, went in for the meeting where I was informed I was being let go, that there had been discussions and meetings in Orange County, that they're looking to "be more efficient" and that they need to make cuts and that my functions would be absorbed by other staff. I always suspected this day would come-- from the day I heard the owner of Affliction had bought the venue in the first place-- so it didn't come as a total surprise. When we were officially notified of the change nobody really seemed to know what my role would be, so I had to make it up as I went along, and while I found my niche, I was always pivoting, my roles never firmly defined. It would be really stupid for me to say anything further on this matter, especially because I still work for the Casbah which will continue to promote shows at the venue, so instead, I'm gonna make a listicle on looking on the bright side of this situation.

1. I can actually watch TV and movies without a laptop in front of me.
2. I have already deleted my account on Trello, the worst project management site on the planet.
3. My Friday mornings will no longer be spent formatting newsletters.
4. My daily email will be cut by approximately 60%.
5. No more mandatory Tuesday meetings.
6. I will continue to have access to shows and photo passes as a music blogger.
7. No more agents asking for "back end marketing plans" that I can't actually implement.
8. I won't spend the majority of my time chasing down and tracking other people's deadlines.
9. More time with and for my family.
10. Having the time to create listicles on meaningless blog posts.

Obviously the loss of income from both jobs is going to sting a bit and I sure am gonna miss that West Coast Tavern discount, but all in all, I'm going to be just fine.

Things To Do In San Diego: December 26-28, 2014

This week my lovely friend Tim Pyles posted about my site on 91X.com and there's definitely been more traffic here, so if you're new around here, listings for the weekend are below. For my friends and family that have been around for a while, I can say this Christmas has definitely brought the unexpected, as my dad has been hospitalized since Monday. It was looking pretty dire, but he's hanging on and talking and alert and he's looking much better than he did in the beginning of the week. Yesterday we brought Christmas to him until he was pretty exhausted and overstimulated, and then my mom stayed with him and we did dinner at my parents' house with just the kids. I'll try to update as I can. Friday through Sunday archives are after the jump.

Some Thoughts About Children's Pool

If my political posts haven't won me any friends in the past, I'm certainly not expecting to make any new friends now. This year I decided to buy Sea World Fun Passes for me and Darren and Nova. My sister alerted me to a "Blue Friday" special after Thanksgiving that made them $25 off the regular price per pass. We already have passes to the San Diego Zoo and bought Balboa Park passes, too, and use them quite frequently, but the Sea World passes came with some moral quibbling...we are well aware of "Blackfish" and any civilized person can feel bad that Orcas and dolphins and Pilots and Balugas and Walruses are completely out of place and made to live against their migratory nature in such small enclosures, trained to perform for humans, that the horror of The Cove really happens annually. You can weigh all of that and even still, you decide, if I was 6, I'd want to go to Sea World to learn about the animals, to see things up close I might never otherwise see in my lifetime, to hang out with other kids my age (in this case, my nieces) and to ride rollercoasters. And we have. We usually park at the Fishing Boat lot next to Sea World, ride our bikes in, ride Manta until we're ready to vomit, ride Atlantis until our clothes are soaked, check out a couple animal habitats, and call it a day.

But with all of this, we decided it's really important that Nova does learn something about the animals and nature, and the most important thing, to make up her own mind. So after spending all of Presidents' Day at Sea World, on Tuesday we decided it was time to take her to the seal rookery at Children's Pool in La Jolla. We explained that she was going to see something pretty cool and pretty rare...that there are seals on the beach and people aren't allowed close to bother them so they can have their babies, and that there are people who think they should be chased away from the beach and that it belongs to people to swim.

We try to use open language, to present both sides so Nova can make up her own mind, but the truth is, it is really hard. Growing up in San Diego, you understand many longstanding controversies in the City. You know about immigration, border fences, and Friendship Park. You know about the cross on Mount Soledad. You know about "the trust" vs people who want to let the seals have a beach. The first two are things- while I have strong opinions for my side- I can see the opposition's point of view. As for the seals, you have to be a heartless bastard or just a sicko yuppie elitist (which is worse?) to think that of all the beaches available to us in San Diego, you need this particular one free of these beautiful marine mammals. So I'm sorry if you believe that we can coexist, or that divers should get this particular beach, or that some wealthy person trusted this beach "to the children", I just can't see your side on this one.

So this was one of the many things I loved about Mayor Bob Filner. There was no question about what side he was on about this, and besides working out the seal cam and putting up the rope, this issue came back to council. Then the mayor was embroiled in scandal, the council found a way to postpone the issue, and nothing has been resolved- which is fine since the animals are currently somewhat protected. In doing a couple searches, however, I found that our timing was quite remarkable, because the issue is actually coming back to council this month! On FEBRUARY 24 at 1pm, San Diego City Council "will finally be voting on the May 17, 2010 resolution to prohibit public access to Casa Beach during the harbor seal pupping season, from December 15 to May 15 annually." Email your councilperson and let them know that you want to protect the seals.

So now let me get off my soap box and tell you what happened. We approached the seawall and found a new mom protecting her pup on the beach. She didn't like the people getting too close for photos, but she relaxed once everyone got off the beach. Then we saw more seals on rocks. And in the water. And bobbing in the waves. And it was beautiful. And we took pictures of the seals, and selfies, and pictures of the waves. We continued onto the wall, fascinated by some very pregnant seals on a rock near the wall. We smiled at the animals stretching and hobbling into the water and babies trying to get attention. And then we saw a mass of seagulls go in and realized a birth had just happened! The sand was bloodied and the seagulls were squawking and fighting and we realized they were wrestling for the placenta. We looked at the new mom, barking at others to give her space, nudging her pup, and then we watched in wonder for the next half hour...as she fought off a seal in their way, how she swatted the seagulls, and how, eventually, her pup started hobbling along the sand and into the water...waves carrying it back to shore, and eventually getting it into the pool and it rode its mom's back and it was this really incredible moment. Of all my years in San Diego, I've never seen this before. It was exciting and beautiful and amazing.

I'm sorry La Jollans, this does not belong to you.  Find a list of City Council members by district with phone number and email after the jump and let them know where you stand on this issue. To learn more about protecting the seals, click here.

Tuesday is Election Day! Vote David Alvarez for Mayor!

This came in from David Alvarez's campaign over the weekend:

...President Barack Obama endorsed David Alvarez to be the next Mayor of San Diego, applauding his focus on creating jobs and ensuring every child has access to a high-quality education.

President Obama said, “As a native San Diegan, David Alvarez has been a fierce advocate for his city, and on the Council, has led efforts to build a strong middle class, put neighborhoods first and expand opportunities for kids in and out of school. Today, with the city’s economy and neighborhoods poised to make progress there is no question that David is the right choice to be San Diego’s next mayor and I am excited to support him.”

Why does a presidential endorsement matter? Because the president understands that civic engagement and cultural and political momentum starts on the community level. As the 8th largest city in the United States, what happens here matters. And perhaps you don't follow local politics beyond news headlines and scandals, skewed polls and news stations with biased information, but I happen to spend a lot of time watching City Council meetings. It was so exciting to see the Council move forward on issues that have stalled over decades in this city, and it was always fascinating to see Faulconer and Sherman talk out of both sides of their mouth...they're with the majority except for some caveat and so they vote against the council- on minimum wage, on prevailing wages, on bonds, on issue after issue. I'm proud to support David Alvarez, who would be the first Latino mayor for San Diego, and I'm proud that The Casbah, our Interim Mayor Todd Gloria, and now the president of our country, Barack Obama, all endorse David Alvarez.

If you are registered to vote, we need to see you at the polls on Tuesday, February 11, 2014.

Rosey's Diary: Good Night, Sweet Girl

In October of 1999, I was just a year out of college. I was working at my first ad agency, I was freshly single, and life's possibilities were limitless. And then I decided to adopt a dog. My parents cautioned against it, saying I'd never be able to travel around the world like my sister did, that a dog was a liability, but I was okay with that. Visiting the shelter weekly, sometimes daily, I waited for the right dog to speak to me. And then one day, she did. The shelter hadn't even fixed Pascha, they put her in the last kennel with four other dogs and had pretty much ruled her unadoptable. She wasn't a puppy, she was skittish, flashes of light put her into minor seizures, and her spine was injured from abuse. But the day we met, she looked at me, raised an eyebrow, and I knew that I now belonged to her and she belonged to me. I picked her up the next day, and proud of my first real adult decision, I decided to introduce her to my family. I loaded her in my Mazda and drove to Chula Vista. She was terrified during that first long car ride, so she crawled behind me.I reclined the seat and just leaned back on her and she proceeded to pee all over my back right around the Plaza Boulevard off ramp. But what could I do but keep driving and take her to meet my parents.

Her behavior was really challenging at times. I used to keep shoes under the bed and at least 8 pairs were chewed on before I got the message. For the first year, she would just hide under the bed whenever any guests came over, and once she got over that, she'd bark incessantly until the guest would give her a cookie, but it took several years before she'd make eye contact with someone new. At one point we were a family with three cats and Pascha, and she sometimes didn't realize her size and would play a little too rough with Boo and Monkey and Kiwi. But she was also awesome. She loved going for walks, to the park, in the car, or xozying up to me back to back when I'd stay up all night and sleep all day long.

My life now is wildly different than it was in 1999, and overall, things are pretty amazing for me, but I am definitely going to have puffy eyes and a heavy heart as I get over the fact that Pascha is no longer with me. She was an incredible dog, as most dogs are. She had been unhealthy, chomping off most of the hair on her back and tail this summer, but with Darren's care, she was going on daily walks, we switched to healthier food, and it seemed like she would be with me for at least a few more years. But suddenly she wasn't well. She was staggering around, having trouble breathing, gagging, and her stomach inflated and after a Google search, I realized that it was very possible that she had bloat, or gastric dilatation and volvulus. Basically dogs like Pascha get too much air in their body and their stomach just flips. In retrospect, I think it has happened before but she got better, but this time was the last. Thousands of dollars in surgery would've probably revealed that all the tissue in her stomach was dead. Realistically, even if I had the thousands to spend, I couldn't put my dog through that.

And so it was, Pascha was super sick and we took her to the vet hoping for a different prognosis, but in my heart I knew, and after laying on the bed with her for a couple hours, I think she knew, too, and I believe that she told me it was time. Everyone at Bodhi was great, and there was no upsell in trying to sway our decision, and in the end, Darren and I held her as she took her final breath and went to sleep forever.

No person on this earth has been closer to me than this dog. She saw me through the best and worst days of my life. She was there loving me when I didn't feel I deserved to be loved, on those days when I couldn't get out of bed, and for all of the rough patches. And she was there for all of the joy, too, and especially in the past couple years, hogging the bed, being a trooper after we had to move, sharing her love with Darren and Nova, and being my best friend through all of it. I think when you adopt a pet, you learn unconditional love, patience, and kindness in a way you could never understand without. And if you're a lunatic, as I sometimes can be, you prepare yourself for their death from the day you bring them home- what would I do without this being in my life? So with Pascha now gone, there is definitely a void in my life, there is sorrow, and this bewilderment, feeling the emptiness and trying to tell Kiwi that her best pal is gone. But there is joy, too. Because I will always be the girl who was loved by this dog. I am the girl who was chosen by this dog, the girl who saved her from being euthanized for being unadoptable, and the girl who proved there is no such thing.

Rosey's Diary: San Diego Summer 2013

It has been a few months since I've sat with my laptop to write a long winded diary post but summer came and went and it has been so busy and adventurous and incredible that I've never really had a chance to soak it all in. I thought about calling this post, "The Summer of Yoga Pants and Fanny Packs" and of course all along the way I've been Tweeting and Facebooking and Foursquaring and updating listings but it feels good to look back at the past few months.

Rosey's Diary: February 27-March 2, 2013

I've been writing online in one form or another since about 1997, and over the years I've battled with this theory that it is good to write personal stories, but to learn how to separate that from the private not-for-sharing stuff. I really have few filters, but when it comes to my relationships, it is challenging because while I want to share my joy, I have to be super-sensitive to the object of my affections not give them a life in public that they don't want. Thankfully Darren is a really good sport. Though my diaries and social check-ins often miss large gaps of time when you probably just assume I'm sleeping,  we are fortunate that we get to spend a lot of time together everyday. Still, because of work and family obligations between the two of us, there is only one night every two weeks where Darren and I get to have what I've referred to as our #24HourDate nights.

Wednesday was Darren's birthday and after my amazing birthday with him back in September after only dating a short while, I felt some pressure to make his epic, especially with (or in spite of) his reluctance to even acknowledge the occasion. So we just went with an upgraded #24HourDate. If you wanna hear about it, keep on reading after the jump.

Rosey's Diary: January 23-February 26, 2013

I've started this diary post about 6 different times, and in that time, over a month has elapsed since my last post. I don't really know what my obsession is with even writing these things...perhaps to clear my head, perhaps to gain perspective, perhaps to assess and appreciate all that I have, but I can't shake them and feel compelled to write them. It was a really great month and it feels pretty awesome to have eliminated the word "rollercoaster" from my posts of just a year ago (codeword for depression). Today is Darren's birthday, and forgive me for being a girl for a second, but I love this man so deeply and have never been in such awe of another human being. That he loves me back with equal regard just blows my mind every day. That said, we are planning on joining the San Diego River Rescue team this morning for some river cleanup, and later after a few Wednesday obligations, I can't wait to kick off another #24HourDate. My gushy diary is after the jump.

Rosey's Diary: Love Is In The Air (10/22-11/12/2012)

I was trying to keep up with these diary posts because they always seem to get really long winded, but despite the fact that I actually prepared this post after I returned from Mexico (10/28), it has been sitting in a draft format in the queue since then. My last diary post was on 10/21, and naturally there have been so many things to add since then, even beyond my little headers that I write when I post listings. I guess mostly it's long winded because I have a lot to share-as the title suggests- and it would be cheap to leave any of the good stuff out.

So yeah, as always, if you're just here for listings or show recommendations, or contests or scene news, you can skip this post entirely. On the other hand, I've learned that I essentially have three types of readers: people who have a lot of free time to read anything and everything on the web, friends who live vicariously through me and/or want to keep up with me, or people who read my writing to judge me, though hopefully there aren't too many of those. Whatever category you may find yourself, by all means, click the jump.