First, I sideswipe my car on the fence trying to get into the driveway to unload all my stuff I brought home from school. It's down to the metal.

Then Sony has no idea what happened to the TV I ordered. And even though it's been shipped, can't give a tracking number, tell me what service they use, or even what state they ship electronics from. I tried to ask if there was any number for shipping. "Surely, there must be some warehouse or something that items get shipped from. How do you ship something when someone orders it?" I almost lost it when the guy said, "Oh, there's a number here next to your Order Number. Maybe it's a tracking number or something. Why don't you type that number into Google and see what it comes up with?" That was his only advice. First of all, it was obviously not a tracking number (and for what service, anyway?). Second of all, you are the customer support person and you don't know what the numbers on the order forms mean? Third of all, that is worst customer care I have ever received. Telling your customers to use Google to answer their questions that they called YOU about. Jesus Christ. So I guess I'll never get my TV. It probably already came and somebody probably stole it off the front porch. But there's no way I could ever prove this, with no tracking number.

Needless to say, I am very upset about all this.

Thanks to all who answered my last post. We now have all the items we need. I got some very creative responses. I think "twig/toothbrush" might have been my favorite. I ended up not choosing that one, but I am going to use my own idea of "rock/hammer." I think I have or can find just about everything on the list I put together. No need to borrow anyone's precious Kindle! But thank you all for offering.

I am co-teaching a 2-week class at Northeastern this summer. It is a class on engineering concepts for science teachers (offered through the District, not through Northeastern). We have about 30 people registered in the class. I taught this same class last year. I am looking forward to doing it again. This time it will hopefully be a little easier since I am familiar with all the activities this time around.

An icebreaker activity we are doing for a class I am teaching (of adults) is to lay out a bunch of items and have people take one. Each of the items, or "technologies," will be part of a matching pair. One will be an older version of the technology, one will be a newer version. The item itself doesn't necessarily have to have been crafted prior to the other one, but it must be clear that one is a newer technology of the same thing.

Examples of items:
Analog watch/digital watch
Hand eggbeater/electric blender beater
Cotton sock/Synthetic sock
Hand fan/electric fan
Old phone/new cell phone

These must be items you or I already have lying around the house, as we have zero budget for any more items. They also must all fit in a bag I am carrying in, so please don't say "old TV, flat screen TV." I'm having trouble coming up with unique and creative items. I need 15 pairs of them! Put suggestions here please. Be as creative as you can think of! If you have any of the items you suggest that I could borrow, I'll happily return them to you. I only need them for one day (July 6). Thanks!

I just went down into the basement to get a wig and I stopped suddenly when I saw a mouse blocking the entrance to the storage area. I stomped my feet loudly and yelled at it, but it didn't move. It only looked at me. Then I picked up a charcoal briquet and threw it at it (making sure to miss), but the mouse didn't move. I fled the basement in fear desperately looking for someone to help me. When I realized that nobody was there to help me, I decided face my fears and go back down into the basement. I went up to it within a few inches and it still didn't move. I took a large step over it and ended up on the other side of it. I got the wig I needed, leaped over the mouse again and ran out of the basement. I then found the landlord (who wasn't there before) and told him he'd be needing to dispose of mouse carcass in the near future. He said, "Oh yeah, we put some poison down there." Now I feel kind of sorry for the mouse. But what can you do? I'm still scared of rodents. They might run up my leg or something.

Not that I'm counting.

A trailer for what looks to be an awesome movie. And surprisingly, it doesn't look to be a comedy.

Iron Sky Trailer

Wow, American Idol is turning into a total sausage fest (only 2 girls remaining). But I can't complain, because all the remaining guys are really hot. Probably the best looking (and most talented) guys I've seen in any Top 10, and I've watched religiously since Season 3.

ETA: Oh, and Fringe fans, did you notice The Watcher sitting in the audience? Cool!

Poll #1379770 All's fair...
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Which is worse?

Hey kalliejenn2 , did you see this story about a hedgehog with no spines? Poor little thing! Awwwwww!

8 plays...
4 rehearsals...
35 minutes of tech...
1 night only

It's Company One's tri-annual SLAMBoston coming up this Tuesday at the BCA, and I'm in it!

After last years sold out SLAMs, Company One is bringing the Theatre Slam back to Boston! Combining the wild excitement of poetry slams with live theater, SLAMBoston is a unique ten-minute play festival developed and made popular by Another Country Productions. Eight plays compete for a cash prize in a night of raucous audience participation and celebration of diversity in American theatre.

The play I'm in (In Bloom) is going LAST, which we're really excited about (although it means a late, late tech on Monday night), but we get to close the show. The play is written by a local playwright and and it's possibly the funniest part I've ever played (after playing rape victims, homophobes, and suicidal people, I suppose playing an alcoholic is pretty damn funny). :-)

The SLAM usually sells out, because it's one night only, so if you would like to go, please buy tickets in advance here. Please note that the show is at 7:30, not 8. We need your vote to win the cash prize (which will probably barely cover the cost of props), but still, it would be pretty cool to win. :-)