I have been a bit remiss in blogging lately, partly because I started working more on Thursdays and partly because I haven't felt like I had anything to say. Right now my life consists mostly of work, which I hate, and books, which I love, with a few other things sprinkled in here and there. Here are some points of interest:

New work shoes - GOOD - Finally! I have to wear all black slip-resistant shoes at both of my jobs. The pair I have are going on a year old and while they are very comfortable, the top layer is peeling off and there is zero slip resistance left on the bottom. I ordered some shoes through work and they FINALLY came this week. They are designed to look like Chucks, but all black and meant for work. I love them. They are so cute, and they are fairly comfortable too.

$5 on $50 - BAD - Now I try hard not to do any waiter rants on my blog. BELIEVE ME, especially lately, I could go on and on. With the deteriorating economy people are cutting back, I get that. But more and more people are leaving less than 10% when they had a problem-free meal, choosing to cut back on just the tip instead of cutting back on the bill first. I get paid $2.13 an hour people, which barely covers my taxes. What I've noticed is for some reason, people who spend around $50 are the worst. I don't know why. With $40 I can usually count on at least 15%, quite often 20%. The higher the bill, the more it varies; that's when you see things like $2 on $60, $15 on $70. But something about $50 and the nicest family feels inclined to think $5 cuts it. It's a strange trend.

Fire by Kristin Cashore - GREAT - I was lucky enough to get to borrow a copy of the ARC from Becky *thanks again* and I think I might have loved it even more than Graceling, but both were equally amazing and I can't wait for Cashore's next book. She is a very talented writer. We have to discuss this book at some point Becky and Christina.

The Time Traveler's Wife movie - GOOD - I loved this book, and I was curious to see how it would be handled in the movie. The stars were Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, both of whom I like, so it was looking promising. I thought all things considered, they adapted it pretty well. It's not the book of course, and they couldn't fit everything in, but I enjoyed the end result. I didn't love it, but I liked it. Definitely worth seeing once Nicola.

Top Chef - GOOD - The new season just started, and I haven't even gotten a chance to watch the first episode yet, but it is recorded and waiting for me to watch on Monday. I love this show, don't ask me why. I can't cook at all, and I wouldn't eat most of the food they make, but I love it anyway (I've even played the computer game, which is quite fun).

Bad people associations - BAD - I am only mentioning this because I want to know if anyone else has encountered this. I used to work with this girl a couple of years who really just got on my nerves. She didn't have the best work ethic and frustrated me to no end. At present, there is a girl I just started working with who is the spitting image of her. Same height, hair cut and color, voice and even the face to a degree. Enough so that everytime she talks I can't get this other girl out of my head. And now I have this irrational dislike of a girl I don't know because of a bad experience two years ago. I feel bad, because it's not her fault. And I'm not mean to her, I just kind of avoid her. Anyone else ever have this problem?

Cat stalker - UMM... - My sister headed back to college for the fall. She left her cat behind again. Who has decided that without Lindy around she gets to be my new shadow. She scratches on the door (both bedroom and bathroom) if I close it on her. She sleeps on my pillow every night and generally just sheds all over my bed. She's lonely and I feel sorry for her, but she's NOT my cat.

And ... that's all I remember. I had a mental list but those always disappear. And this is long enough as it is. I work another full day this coming Thursday but I will try to turn in something.