So we're going back to the Ramada, thank goodness. Merced smells like manure 24 hours a day and is usally gray 24 hours a day, but for some reason it just didn't seem that bad at the Ramada. It is, literally, on the other side of the train tracks from the Holiday Inn Express. Admittedly, there is no hot tub at the Ram. but I'd trade it all for a little sleeping security!

Otherwise, things are going well. James and Leslie are coaching a team of 15 y.o. girls and have their first tournament in Sacramento today, so I have a rare weekend of nothing to do, which I am looking forward to. The consulting firm I'm temping for hosted a happy hour at an SF bar last night so I got to spend time with my coworkers, both old and new. The new ones have grown on me a lot -- we had a great time last week -- but boy was it good to rehash all the old inside jokes with the old ones too! It was great fun and I'm excited to know all these people.

Happy Chinese New Year!! If you have any minor irritating things going on in your life in the past year that you've always meant to change or if you just need to clean house a bit, now's the time to do it to get off on the right foot for the year of the Monkey.