Nope, didn't get around to updating again yesterday, so no need to go back and read it if you already did. The story continues on over here. By the way, anyone not thrilled with the old template will be pleased because Claire made me the new one. Be sure to send her your love!

My parents finally arrived here around 4:30 or so, bringing gifts of various kinds. Whee! We then packed into the mondo supercool van. The first good thing about having a handicapped parent is this van, I kid you not. Would you believe it has some kind of phone system wired into it? No actual phone, you just have voice recognition. They get free access to said system for a month, so Mom was attempting to try it out by programming my number into it. Only guess what ... in case you didn't know, voice recognition doesn't. She was screaming my phone number into the thing for about ten minutes trying to get it programmed in, and when she finally got it all in, it wouldn't work when she tried to call me. I think they'll be sticking to the good old-fashioned cell.

So apparently my parents have finally realized that AOL is, in fact, AOHell ("it's got all these boxes and windows you have to keep pulling up�"), and have decided to cough up for broadband so it's easier for Dad to use. Which already shocked me because they are really not into using the net, not like I do anyway, but �would you believe that my parents were trying to get AT&T@home for TODAY (Sunday)? I'm like "Didn't you KNOW?" "Well, yes, but they SAID they'd still be servicing later�" blah blah yeah right cakes. Anyway, they were going to wait at home tomorrow for it to show up, but of course that won't happen� I'm like "Why on earth weren't you trying to get PacBell? At least they're not going out of business." "Well, your uncle has this�." Sheeesh.

Anyway, we went to my favorite Italian restaurant in town, which I pretty much only get to for birthdays any more since I moved to the other side of town. The rain was still pouring away, and man, the fun of trying to unload a wheelchair in the driving rain. I would not recommend it, especially for the guilt factor. Mom made me push his chair, which I normally try to avoid doing at all costs because, as usual, I'm generally not good with wheels. For example, after I shoved a shopping cart right into a woman's butt at Costco (those damn wheels!), my roommate was all "Okay, you are NOT driving the cart any more." At least I didn't dump him out, which Mom has almost done on several occasions. I know she'd KILL me if I did that, but if SHE does it... well, you know.

As we went into the restaurant, which is one that the ex and I used to go to once upon a time, it occurred to me how godawful embarrassing it might be to run into him here, especially if he had a date. I did the little semi-prayer I always did in restaurants back home when I was out with the parents (we ate out a lot, and often enough we'd run into somebody), the "Please, let me not run into the ex or anyone else I know while we're out" one.

Didn't work, folks, though at least it wasn't the ex-boyfriend who came through the door- it was the ex-boss.

God, talk about lovely timing for that, huh?

I'll have to explain the set up of the room for you a bit: The restaurant is divided into two sides, with the door/foyer area in the middle. My back was turned to most of the other side of the room, but I could see some of the folks in the foyer, and I casually glanced over and saw my ex-boss's back as she was talking to her kid. Man. Of all times to run into her, WITH MY PARENTS... I'd always thought she and my mom should meet because they're really alike, but it was just too late for that now, not to mention awkward as hell. So I turn to Mom and say quietly, "Heh, that's my ex-boss over there. Can you believe this?"

I did not say hi to her. Now had we both spotted each other or had been seated closer to each other (she was seated on the other side of the room, in the back) I would have, really. But with my parents around and the timing, it was just all too damn weird.

After that, we headed over to Safeway so I could get groceries (I shamelessly convinced the parents to pay for them. Any port in a storm, folks.), where I promptly ran into one of my rarely-seen friends bagging groceries on the next aisle. I don't think I'd actually seen him since his New Year's party in which a third of the guests puked all over his bathroom (not the best party). Also feeling kinda embarrassed to run into him in that situation, but oh well, what are you gonna do. He said he was doing "so-so", which I know in his speak equals "My life is the worst it's ever been and I'm somewhat ready to kill myself in this aisle." He's a very depressive person.

We then finally left to go home and dump groceries off before heading to some outlets. While we were there, I got a phone call from another one of the ex-coworkers, another one of my hangout buddies there. Surprise! He said he was upset to hear about what happened to me, and told me that everyone there was feeling nervous that week, about what I'd heard from Shawn as well. I filled him in on what had gone on with me, he said we should still hang out sometime, asked if I would still work on the super-secret project that some of us have been working on for awhile, and I said yes. It was very cool to hear from him =)

After that, the parents hauled me to the outlets, and Mom did some shopping. I am ashamed to admit that I spent $20 on books (in my defense, one of them WAS a job-hunting book, but the rest I have no good excuse for other than I will be looking for entertainment), but did restrain myself from buying cheap earrings galore. I have got to stop spending money and having fun, folks. (I was a good girl and just turned the roommate down for going out for Chinese food. Sigh.)

Dad started crying again when they were about to leave. Oh MAN, the guilt and worry I have put upon this poor man who can't do anyting about it. Guilt guilt guilt.

I have also gotten e-mails from another editor of mine and another ex-coworker, both were very complimentary and the latter also wants to hang out. =) On the friends and relatives end, I heard back from one friend of mine saying she was sorry (the other one that's friends with the ex I have not heard from. Hmmmm.) and the relatives, both of whom were sorry to hear that and one of them said, "You deserve good things in your life, but you sure have been getting the wrong end of the stick lately." Not much I can say to that, huh?

Would you believe I (sorta) slept for 12 hours today? Wow, I am impressed. I wouldn't say it was a full 12 due to the WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH/rain/bang/police sirens going on all night long, but hey, at least I slept and slept late! Whee! And after the nastiness of last night, it is still whoooshy, but bright and sunny and dry out. Who woulda figured?

I got an e-mail from my cousin in Massachusetts, who is in animation and has been out of work for months himself, and he said that I should skip taking the peon job and instead just go on unemployment and work part time until I find something decent. (Depending on how long you can draw unemployment and how much I can get, this could be feasible...) I have to say that this sounds really tempting to do, as opposed to the Burger King future. Not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's more encouraging to me.

Okay, I am just TOTALLY amused by this thread, where -h- suggested that I, being someone that everyone knows and would never suspect, might have written Acanit's journal in an attempt to win a Diarist award. I am so laughing and laughing! Whee! What a compliment! Though yeah, come to think of it, I really do have a plot and foreshadowing in my life (see recent job stuff for the latest example). Seriously, if I found out that I was fictional and someone had been writing "The Jennifer Chronicles" book series for years now and I was a household name and people were reading my life, I wouldn't be surprised. Though I would have to go kick the real author's ass for some of his nasty plot developments. My real life IS fiction, y'all. Yikes!

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