I have some down time at work so I thought I'd update the ol' blog. Job negotiations continue (vaguely, in the form of resume requests) and look promising. In the meantime, I am learning lots of interesting medical terminology and becoming enlightened to all the weird things that can go wrong in a human body...

This promises to be a hefty blog. I've been so out of touch. First of all, I am officially a fully functional US Citizen. Translation: for the first time ever I did my own taxes. Did my federal online for free, did my states (both states, including partial residency forms) and sent them off return receipt. I'm proud to have passed this Byzantine, daedal, elaborate, gordian, intricate, involved, knotty, labyrinthine, abstruse, dare I say recondite if you will milestone. ;)

Second, Happy 2 Year Anniversary to Mom & Steve, which took place on St. Patrick's day. And Happy St. Patrick's Day to the rest of you and all that good blarney. I avoided the big urban SPD activities -- not being all that into the beer holidays -- for the most part, though I did wear green to avoid being pinched, and I join my pals at a local bar, where a small clump of us raised a toast (which involved everyone else raising a car bomb -- a glass of Guinness with a shot glass of baileys dropped into it, meant to be chugged before the baileys congeals -- and me clinking their glasses with my substitute drink, which was my fist) in good spirits.

This weekend is looking pretty exciting. I'm expecting a low key day tomorrow, but Sunday Leslie has invited me as her guest to a friend's birthday festivities, namely, indoor rock climbing! I'm very excited to try it. After that, I've made plans to finally see some of the hallmarks of Golden Gate Park, First, the Conservatory of Flowers, the oldest glass-and-wood Victorian greenhouse in the Western Hemisphere and home to more than 10,000 plants from around the globe. They say the west side has an exhibit about plant pollination featuring 800 live butterflies that flit about among the visitors. Next, the Japanese Tea Garden, one of the only surviving attractions from the Midwinter fair, the expo that took place at the inception of Golden Gate Park in 1894 -- formerly just a bunch of sand dunes. The tea garden is a complex of paths, ponds and a teahouse featuring native Japanese and Chinese plants, with lots of hidden sculptures and bridges. Interesting side fact: Makato Hagiwara, the Japanese gardener whose family took over the garden from 1895 to 1942, also invented the fortune cookie! Finally, the Arboretum, a 70-acre "horticultural extravaganza" with more than 6,000 plant species. The coolest part of this one is supposed to be the garden of fragrance, whose signs are entirely in Braille.

Before I embark on all that good golden gorgeousness, though, I have dues to pay. My friend Noah was a post-production assistant on a movie in LA which is opening tonight. Unfortunately, that movie is Dawn of the Dead! Zombies get to me, man, I can't explain it, and sure as heck wouldn't go of my own accord, but you have to be loyal to your friends, especially when their name's in lights. There's a decent sized posse of us going, so hopefully that will be enough of a bubble of safety to keep me from being tweaked for week. If you get any late late night calls from me tonight, however, please be aware that I am not drunk dialing, rather, telephoning in terror. ;)