Howodd Bensonmum.

So I passed my field training and am now obsessively checking the crewscheduler to see if my shifts have been assigned yet. They probably won't be until after I get home from MI, because I think that's what they said when I called, but I'm not sure.

went to go get my YOU MUST SEE ME bike gear (having learned that although my winter shell is nice and waterproof and toasty and bright red, it is also invisible enough in the morning at 0700 when I try to bike across the intersection for minivans to pretend I don't exist and try to hit me. and then gesticulate at me for daring to follow the 4 way stop rules.) Also, my bike home at night is fine because there's almost no traffic, but since it's through an industrial park, there's also almost no lighting. is dark. So I reserved a car (first for wednesday, and then The Migrane Of Doom ate my face, so I changed to friday), -enterprise lost my reservation, but had a chevy silverado they could rent me for the same rate as the intended car (that's not a truck, by the way, it's a boat. seriously.)- and drove up to the Vacaville outlet stores, where, after much meandering, following mapquest directions, abandoning mapquest directions, swearing, getting distracted by stores I wanted to go to (but yea, verily, I was virtuous and only got sidetracked by the RHCF...er....RMCF...rocky mountain chocolate factory, which gets called the rocky horror chocolate factory, because...it just does. It has amaaaaazing chocolates and smells like skiing and winter and warming up from cold and hot wax and skiboots and snowbird plaza, which is mountain air and snow and grillsmoke and propane and gore-tex and sweat. The woman behind the counter gave me an odd look because I spent a good 5 minutes just smelling the store. I did also go to the bath and body works store because I needed some christmas presents for MI that don't involve yarn, because I have a scarily small amount of hours left in which to finish said yarn-involving projects. yeep. but I was vigilant and did not go to the papyrus outlet or any of the others that made me go ...hey... as I drove past in search of the Pearl Izumi store.) I made it to the Pearl Izumi outlet, which was in fact on the other side of the freeway. bugger.

and I got my rain high vis jacket and glubs and a headband that actually fits under the helmet and a high vis long sleeved shirt for when it's too hot to wear the fuzzy windproof one I got when I was living in Norway and then hightailed it back to Richmond to return the car before 1800.

The Boy asked me why I spent the money to rent a car when I could have just gone on Saturday. Because, I said, what is the trifecta of "Stay Away From Shopping?"
1). Saturday.
2). December 20.
3). Giant outlet-sale mall-thing.

He did not look impressed. Clearly he never did the "oh, crud. we have to go to Ridgedale to get x/because we forgot y/z finally came in. ok. here's the plan. we will park in the waaaaay back. head down, shoulders up, protect all vital areas, get in, get out, then flee and lock self in house" game. (it's even more fun when you realize you have to go to southdale. or the galleria. or *gasp* the MoA.)

Anyway. Now it's off to get a tiny bit of groceries, then a replacement for the kitty tower (which Teh Kittehz have already tried their damndest to destroy, and it shows, and is possibly no longer entirely stable), and then home for chores. Also have to get keys to Steph and find out when on Sunday Ebet is going to be up here so I can go harass her and when on Sunday I can go harass ALEXIS who is in town and if I don't get a chance to see her I might implode because I haven't seen her in for-eeeever, so to set all this up I'm going to go away now.

What?

Oh, you're confused about the title? (well, Mom isn't. hi mum.)

Sir Alec Guinness. (Luuuke...)
Peter Falk. (...oh, just one more thing, Mrs C...)
Eileen Brennan. (yes, you know her. Mrs Peacock? uh-huh.)
Peter Sellers. (you'd better know him.)
David Niven.*
Truman Capote.*
Maggie Smith.*
James Coco.*
*(you know all these guys. they're the ones that make you squint at the screen and go "...I know you...I do...you're...uh...who are you!?")

All in a movie together. Said movie is spoofing the great literary mystery main characters; Miss Marple, Sam Spade, Nick and Nora, Hercule Poirot...

There is absolutely no reason why you should not go out right now and go rent Murder By Death.

No. Reason.

well. unless you own it. that's a reason.