RhymePhile's Rat Race

( I won't even bother to put anything outside of the cut. Lots of angry within )

TV Guide Magazine has an exclusive interview with Meloni about the contract negotiations for another two seasons of SVU. You can read the whole thing here.

Side note to any Supernatural fans avoiding spoilers: Don't look at the top left corner of the page! Dammit!

I will cut and paste the quote I thought the most notable, which was this:

TV Guide: Were the fans with you and Mariska during the negotiations?

Meloni: [snip] The vast majority believe money's not the issue. They were like "These are guys who are workers. And if they’re in a position to get as much as they can for the work that they do, good for them." And then there’s the other side that I'll call the "playa haters," who begrudged and were very upset that we should ask to get paid what we thought was at the very least fair market value.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA OMG MELONI. SHUT UP. There are people who have lost their homes, their jobs, and can't afford to feed themselves or their families and you're bitching about MORE MONEY FOR ONE SINGLE EPISODE THAN PEOPLE SEE IN THEIR LIFETIMES??? LOLOLOLOL! SHUT UP AGAIN.

Damn, it feels good to be a playa hater. WTF? Really?

And y'know what Mr. Meloni? I think it's time we broke up. It was a sweet ride with highs, lows, sexy thoughts, and much obsessiveness in between, but I feel I've outgrown you. I think I will move on to more healthy TV relationships, and we'll both be happier for it. Oh, now, don't cry. You still have your $8.8 million and your other devoted fans. You won't miss me.

I'll continue to hold Oldskool Elliot and Chris Keller in my heart of hearts though, because good characters are forever. Someday I might even watch you in other things, to think back about the good days.

But really, it's not me, it's you. And don't bother sending flowers. This is better for both of us.

So, Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni brokered a deal with Universal/NBC to stay on Law & Order: There Are No Scripts That Make Sense Anymore for another two years.

I officially gave up with SVU after that stupid-ass "Stabler gets shot and then the squad saves a monkey in a basketball" episode last year. Good LORD, what are they smoking to write that shit? Honestly.

Apparently they both asked for work "flexibility" to be worked into their contracts. I guess that means more guest stars while the scripts mention Stabler and Benson being in court, huh? Whatevs.

I covered my opinion on these contract talks once already, but to know that they'll be making $8.8 MILLION for an average of 22 episodes a season is astounding. There was no way Universal was going to risk losing them, no matter what the suits say. They can't be replaced, and it's about the only drama on NBC that continually makes money. No way they're going to recast. They'll pay out the nose.

But the unique thing about a contract is that they get paid even if they're not in an episode.

I hope they're worth it. Buy a couple more houses, guys! I won't be watching anymore. They should be using that money for frickin' writers.

I'll be 35 this year. I consider myself a fangirl: writing fic, loving characters, collecting toys, buying merchandise. I like what I like and in the past I focused on things (eating, sleeping, breathing X-Files for years), but never, ever, NEVER have I seen something like this.

It's an Italian-made (I think, guessing by the titles) video mash-up of fans' YouTube reactions to the trailer of the new sparklevampire Twilight film, New Moon. Gawker did a post on it.

First, watch the trailer:



Next, the fan reaction mash-up:




WHAT THE FUCK, world? Really? Jebus, I bet it's like this in most fandoms, and if I were a star, I would never show up for cons or public appearances. It's frightening. (Also, most of those girls look like they could kick Cedric Diggory Robert Pattinson's ass.)

This is also part of the reason I've retired the going-to-cons thing. It's too damn scary out there, fer realz.

Y'all, I am now officially a New York driver! And it only took me 2 and a half hours!

I went to Herald Square DMV in Manhattan this morning. As I tried to enter the building I was informed there was a line, as it turned out, around the block. The office opened at 8:30, and I was there around 8:15 or so.

I waited outside in the rain for a while, then they herded us in small numbers into elevators, which took us to the eighth floor where the DMV was. Then there was more line waiting. And then I waited on line. Also, line waiting. For you in the UK, I was queued in the queueingest queue there ever was!

Some excitement: two Chinese women who didn't speak a word of English were cutting the line, and some Hispanic lady (or is it Latina? I'm not up on my political correctness) got pissed and went to get a uniformed employee, growling, and I quote, "Oh, you gonna make me, ain't you?" Hee! Then there was swearing and hand gestures and blank stares and much Cantonese (or maybe Mandarin). Eventually, it got sorted even though the guard was all, "I have no idea what you're saying." I was laughing hysterically.

I was doing fine until I went to get my registration. My insurance had to have been in effect for at least 45 days. My card said April. Y'know, I researched the shit out of the NY DMV website, took almost an hour and a half filling out forms last night (no lie), and still I got screwed up. Christ.

I then had to visit Staples on the second floor, call Geico, and get them to fax me a new insurance card. Sheesh.

Then luckily I got an expedited ticket to get helped again, and eventually got it all sorted. In all that time, I listened to music and watched the Supernatural episode "On the Head of a Pin" on my Playstation Portable. Angels, torture, and tears sure pass the time at the DMV!

Unlike New Jersey, I have to wait for them to send me my license. I got a temporary one. I have no idea how my photo will turn out, because I swear the guy that did it looked like one of those weird recluses that live amongst stacks of their own filth and newspapers, I kid you not. Where do they find these people? And I wish they would tell you what's happening. I kept asking "What do I do next?" a thousand times because they never offer information of their own volition. I also had to tell the guy that I didn't need to get my car inspected in 10 days, because my NJ inspection isn't up until November and it will carry over. GAH.

I'm going to miss my Jersey license. I actually look nice in it! I know I'm going to look like hell warmed over for this one. There's no way Weird Creepy Dude took a normal photo!

May I rant for a moment due to State Farm insurance? Yes? Thank you.

Back when I moved in March, I called the local State Farm office, wanting to transfer my New Jersey car and apartment insurance I had with them to New York. I had to call twice before I could spend the time to go through all the coverage options and blah blah blah. I probably spent about half an hour on the phone trying to work my coverage down to an affordable price. New York car insurance with them was more than New Jersey!

Well okay, I thought, I'll go with them for now, and then change it later. I just wanted coverage since I had moved. The woman I was dealing with said she would call my old agency, cancel that, and then call me back with all my info.

A week goes by and I don't hear anything. So I call her back and she's like, "What coverage options did you want again?" ARGH. So I went through the whole rigamarole *again*, and she said she would call back. Well, she never did.

Thus, I got pissed off at waiting, and went to Geico. I set that shit up online in like 15 minutes, called the dude, he e-mailed me a temporary insurance card, and the price per month? State Farm wanted over $200 a month and that was even with me dropping some coverage options. Geico? Only $68 a month, with full coverage.

I called State Farm back *again* because I still hadn't heard from this woman, and basically said You know what? NEVERMIND. She couldn't get her shit together, she never called me, so forget it. And I'm saving money.

My problem? I'm getting bills from State Farm! For whatever reason this woman couldn't get her shit together when I needed it, but my policy somehow wound up getting through, and I keep getting bills. Like, $255 worth of bills. If this screws up my credit I'm gonna hit the roof.

So once again I called this morning and talked to another woman and told her that because Woman 1 never called me back in March, I went with someone else, called her to tell her nevermind, but I'm still getting bills. WTF? I've had Geico since April 12 or 13, which is when I canceled my New Jersey State Farm (because the woman never did!).

Now Woman 2 told me to call back in 20 minutes (again, WTF?) because she was "on hold with the company" whatever that means.

Thank GOD my direct debit was discontinued.

The thing I'm worried about is that the New York office may think I owe them for April-May, which is why I keep getting billed. I received the cancellation confirmation, which was dated May 12, but they need to understand that I *never actually had the damn insurance at all*. UGH. Shit like this (like an insurance bill overdue) can get my credit screwed up.

I still have my cold by the way, although it's slowly moving its way out.

Weekend was filled with cleaning and cutting up moving boxes and hot dogs on the George Foreman grill.

Hope everyone had a pleasant holiday!

Read the story here.

And here's more news from TV Guide's Michael Ausiello.

You know, I can understand when, as an employee, you think you're doing a good job and would like some more money. Everyone thinks about it, yet few are in a position to make that happen.

But this thing where Meloni and Hargitay are angling for more money strikes a nerve with me. I don't think any TV actor deserves the money they are paid (except maybe Tina Fey, because she writes, produces, acts, and pretty much has her hand in everything on 30 Rock), and in this financial climate, a TV star who earns millions every year should not be asking for more money.

I also don't want to see spreads in glossy magazines about his Connecticut beach house or multi-million dollar Manhattan loft. Fuck. I'm eating Ramen noodles for lunch, TV actor.

Jesus Christ, maybe they should take some of Meloni's and Hargitay's money away and invest it in WRITERS. I've stopped watching SVU completely. They are not doing Shakespeare, here.

Back in 2007 they held out for more money, and got $330,000 per episode. That's over $7 million dollars for 22 episodes -- if they hit that much. They only shot 19 last year.

My actor-love in general has been decreasing. As my mother so eloquently put it, "They shit just like the rest of us." So true, ma! It reminds of that scene in A Bronx Tale when the kid tells Chazz Palminteri he idolizes Joe DiMaggio or whoever baseball player it was, and Chazz is all, "He don't care about you. He makes millions every year. Why would you idolize him?" or something to that effect. Yeah! That's how I feel. I'll just watch them on the screen and be blissfully ignorant of who they are in real life.

Long story short: Chris and Mariska, you don't deserve raises. You get paid more than enough money. You get paid more money than many of us will ever see in our lifetimes. Be grateful for what you have and stop fucking asking for more.

The oz_big_bang writer sign-ups end on May 11, and for the life of me I haven't been able to come up with an idea worthy of 25,000 words. I kinda wish this had been bandied about like two or three years ago, when I was in the height of my Oz love.

The other problem, as I see it, is that it's entirely possible to write 25,000 words of something, like an AU or crossover, that no one will be interested in. As great as it would be to say I wrote 25,000 in one shot, I'd hate the thought of working under the pressure and deadline only to discover like two people read the thing. And yes, I'd rather write to an audience than do it "just because."

The longest thing I ever wrote was the Smile Series, and that was like one big soap opera separated into manageable chapters. That took me a year!

Also? I suck at plotting. My talent is strictly in dialogue. I always want to hurry up with the story to get the characters talking because I'm not good at the other stuff. Internal thought? Ugh, I suck at it. A paced narrative? Can I just have two guys sitting in a room talking for 25,000 words? Didn't think so.

You know what else I'm not very good at? Writing sex. I don't particularly like to do it, but that's what *everyone* wants. That and a happy ending. Of course I'm generalizing here, but overall that's what sells. I admit I sometimes enjoy killing characters. There, I said it. But if you stick deathfic up there in a header, people don't want to read it.

Gah, I'm whining.

If you live in New York and work in Manhattan, you are at the mercy of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or MTA, to get where you need to go. Of course, you could always drive (if you could afford to park your car) and deal with traffic day in and day out.

The subway is a mostly dirty, smelly, crowded way to start anyone's morning. Right now the fare is $2, and come May 31st, the MTA has decided to increase the fare to $2.50. That's $100 a month just for the subway. A subway that's dirty, smelly, and crowded. I swear to God, the 1, 2, and 3 downtown platform at Times Square smells like piss Every. Single. Morning. I hold my nose and breathe through my mouth waiting for the train.

And I also found out this morning that the Metro-North railroad fares are going up...by almost $50 fucking dollars. I paid $165.62 this month. In June it's going to be $211.68!!!

So add up rent and travel, that's a little more than half of my monthly take-home paycheck. I'm not even kidding. GAH. And that's before I pay bills.

At least I have a job, and I'm thankful to Whoever Is Looking Down On Me. I don't have to dig ditches, or be in the hot sun all day, or work on a line (I could never, ever do that type of job). But sometimes when I think about where I am in life, after a college education and everything, and wonder if this is how it will always be. I have to be mindful of everything and it grinds on you.

Now I also have to deal with getting that goddamn air conditioner for the summer. *sigh*

I have off tomorrow. I need to set up my home computer!

I tried calling Legal Aid to simply have my question answered, but they couldn't even answer a question without first entering me into the system and asking how much money I made to qualify for legal aid. I make too much, obviously. *bangs head*

Here's Apartment Owner's response:

Regarding the air conditioner, I feel terrible about it and I will have an electrician in to fix the outlet. However, air conditioning is not included with the apartment - I just left my air conditioners there for you to use because I don't need them in my new apartment. After you move out, I plan to sell the apartment, so I won't need an air conditioner for that apartment in the future. So, if you want to replace the one that broke, at least you will own the air conditioner you buy and can take it with you down the road. If you do replace it, be sure to have the super install it for you.

She did say she would fix the dishwasher, so, yay?

So I get to rent a place that had air conditioning, but no longer does unless I spend my own money to replace it. We're on legal shaky ground here, but frankly, I don't have the money to pay a fucking lawyer. It's cheaper to buy a new air conditioner.

I just...I dunno. Guess I better start saving.

Tomorrow it will be exactly a month since I moved in, and I don't consider it "home" yet. Yes, I have a bed and dresser and a nice bookshelf. Things are slowly coming along. But this stress with Apartment Owner is giving me anxiety.

I ran the dishwasher again last night, and the water isn't draining properly. I emptied a whole mop bucket and a half of water from the bottom of the thing. The dishes aren't being rinsed properly either. *huge sigh*

So, I e-mailed Apartment Owner this morning and mentioned the dishwasher. I told her I wanted to tell her before I called the super to come look at it.

I also mentioned the air conditioner. I'm putting it sweetly first, and then if she still refuses then I play hardball. Here's what I said:

I was also wondering if you might reconsider either repairing or replacing the air conditioner, since it was there when I moved in. One of the main reasons I chose to rent your place on the sixth floor were the air conditioners. Unfortunately, without the living room being cool in the summer, I can't really get the full benefits of the apartment.

I can understand your schedule with school [she's a teacher] and everything. I would have no problem researching and arranging to get another air conditioner, which I would deduct from my rent, if that would be easier on you. I would research and provide different options to choose from if you'd rather not look into yourself.

Sounds nice enough, right? No threats or demands there. We'll see what comes back. *fingers crossed*

So, I was doing research this morning, trying to find out about my tenant rights and all that crap. I found a book on Google Book Search, Every Tenant's Legal Guide (new edition coming in May) which states:

If your written agreement (the lease) describes or lists items such as drapes, washing machines, swimming pools, intercoms, or dishwashers, your landlord must provide them in decent repair. And the promise to provide them carries with it the implied promise to maintain them.

My lease mentions the air conditioners.

Here's another quote from the book:

Suppose your rental agreement doesn't mention a garbage disposal, but there is one, and it was working when you moved in. Now it's broken, and despite repeated requests, your landlord hasn't fixed it. Do you have a legal leg to stand on in demanding that your landlord make this minor repair? Yes. Many courts will hold a landlord legally responsible for maintaining all significant aspects of your rental unit. If you rent a unit that already has [emphasis from the book] certain features -- light fixtures that work, doors that open and close, faucets that don't leak -- many judges reason that the landlord has made an implied contract to keep them in workable order throughout your tenancy.

It also mentions what to do when the landlord won't make repairs: taking them to small claims court. Hopefully that's not necessary, but this quote is interesting:

In court, your argument will be that you are not getting the benefits of what you're paying rent for -- for example, a functioning dishwasher, presentable paint, or a working air conditioner.

I would say I would very much like to enjoy the benefits of an air conditioner on the sixth floor in the summer.

I also called a place in Yonkers called Cluster, which is an agency that assists Yonkers and Westchester counties with landlord-tenant problems. The woman I needed to talk to was in court today, and I left a message. I hope she calls me back.

I tried to find an online guide for tenant's rights, but most of it was for NYC. But I did find this on the NYC Rent Guideline Board site. It's not exactly "it broke and he won't repair it" but it's close:

Q: My air conditioner, originally included in the apartment, died and my landlord wants to replace it - shouldn't he repair it?

A: Your landlord is responsible for maintaining your air conditioner in operable condition. Whether he repairs the a/c unit or buys a new or used one is essentially his choice but he cannot increase your rent simply based on repair of the a/c unit or buying another unit. However, having said this, if you REQUEST a new a/c and sign the necessary papers, the landlord can increase your rent 1/40th of the cost of the appliance, which remains part of your rent for the remainder of your tenancy.

I'm working on it! Thankfully I still have about two months before the heat moves in. The apartment owner can't just tell me she's not replacing it. The lease I signed is a binding contract. Not repairing things that were already there when I moved in is a breach of that contract.

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT, RAH RAH RAH! Once I hear back from the woman from Cluster, I can draft en e-mail to Apartment Owner and get things rolling. Her husband is a mergers and acquisitions lawyer, so I want to get my legal ducks in a row before I mention anything to her.

GAH, what a whirlwind few days.

First: the woman who is subletting the apartment to me won't be replacing the burnt-out air conditioner. She called me with an update, and she was more concerned with getting the 220-volt outlet downgraded to normal household voltage. I don't give a shit about the outlet! I asked if she planned on replacing it, and she's like, "the outlet?" No, bitch, the air conditioner, SO I DON'T MELT ON THE SIXTH FLOOR FOR FUCK'S SAKE. She told me no. One can imagine how angry this is still making me. Now I have to save to buy a fucking air conditioner -- that I'm going to have to take out of the window when I leave. Christ.

Oh, and I used my dishwasher for the first time this weekend! And guess what? It's not draining properly. I swear to God the apartment owner didn't check shit (or clean!) before I moved in. GOD.

I saved up my measly 10 days of vacation this year to use for the moving process (my vacation days renew on the date of my work anniversary, April 20-something, I can never remember) and had a few days left over to burn. I took this past Thursday and Friday off for a 4-day weekend.

I left my bed behind when I moved because it was a broken hand-me-down, so Thursday my girlfriend and I went to IKEA in Paramus, NJ to do some shopping. It was my first time!

I got a Malm bed in black, a Markor bookshelf, a little Lerberg metal shelf, a Malm 2-drawer chest to use as a nightstand, and a Malm 4-drawer chest, along with a few other little things. Two hours and $1100 later, I was done, and an extra $89 sent it same-day delivery to my apartment.

Since the bedroom was painted this awful yellow with weird olivey-green trim, we painted this weekend. Taping, and painting, and all the other things involved with painting takes FOREVER. But it's done. And last night we put the bed together so I didn't have to sleep on my mattress on the floor anymore.

The 4-drawer chest had to wait because there were no instructions! You can find them online, though.

There is still crap everywhere in the apartment, but at least we put the living room rug down and the couch and loveseat. I still haven't set up my computer or my TV components yet. It's one of those things where if you don't do one thing you can't do anything else. I haven't cleaned the kitchen cabinets and put shelf paper down yet, so I can't put the dishes away. Crap like that. I haven't put shelf liners on the standing rack above the toilet, so my box of bathroom supplies is sitting in the middle of the living room.

I need a couple more days off.

My girlfriend brought home a voltage meter yesterday from work, and we tested the outlet that fried the air conditioner. The voltage is 220, double what a normal household outlet usually is.

Apartment Owner wants to blame the super for blowing the air con for simply plugging it into the outlet. I wrote her this morning and told her neither he nor I had any idea that outlet was 220 volts. It could have easily been me that plugged the thing in and fried it. Of course, since she owns the place one would think she would have known this.

Also, my girlfriend went looking online at Sears for a new air con, and they're on sale for $239. Apartment Owner walks around with an iPhone. You can't tell me she can't afford a $239 air conditioner in the apartment she owns.

Also, I got pissed with the NY State Farm insurance agent for 1) not calling me back twice, and 2) not knowing her ass from her elbow (and not being able to spell my simple last name, which is actually a word in English) and gave up. So I went with Geico! You know those commercials with that bundle of cash with the googly eyes that follows people around? Well, he saved me a WHOLE lot of money.

At first State Farm wanted to charge me over $200 a month for car and renter's insurance for the same coverage I had in NJ. After reducing my liability and raising some deductibles, the State Farm woman got me down to $147. Geico, in comparison, is charging me $68 a month for better coverage. With $20 a month for renter's insurance, I'm still saving money. WHOO-HOO.

Wanna save some money with Geico? Here's a reference number the guy gave me for friends and family: Call 1-800-342-9070 and use number 129455. I'm not sure what that will do for you exactly, but there it is.

One of the problems with sub-letting an apartment (i.e. renting from the owner -- you can buy your apartments in NY) is that you have to deal with crap *twice*.

Here's the problem: I move in, and the electrical outlet next to the air conditioner in the living room doesn't work. The faceplate of the outlet is loose and coming away from the wall. I mention this to the super, who says he'll fix it.

The awkward thing is that certain things are up to the Apartment Owner to fix, and other stuff is the building's responsibility. A broken refrigerator is handled by Apartment Owner. A broken window, the building. I'm never sure who to call. If the fridge were leaking, I'd call the super, because it's an emergency. If it stopped working, Apartment Owner. It's awkward all around.

Anyway, the super fixes the outlet, and tries to plug the air conditioner in. Pop, fizz, whiff, it dies. He tells me this on the phone in a roundabout way after fixing my shit kitchen faucet, like, "I fixed the outlet, and by the way, the air conditioner blew up!". Great.

I call Apartment Owner and tell her. She's annoyed. I told her I asked the super to fix the outlet because it wasn't working and it was coming away from the wall. She wanted to know why I was using that outlet, since the electrical connectors were some kind of weird, old-fashioned plug. I had no idea what she was talking about; when I moved in it was a normal outlet that didn't work when I plugged my lamp into it.

Long story short: the outlet was some sort of old mutant super-powered outlet that had its cover replaced to look like a current outlet. She didn't know the cover had been replaced. At first she thought the super did it. I told her no, it looked normal when I moved in. So maybe the renter before me changed the outlet?

Longer story short: Apartment Owner "isn't in a position right now to replace the air conditioner." I'm wondering if she's going to get into a position when it gets to be 100+ degrees this summer in this sixth-floor apartment. The bedroom has an air conditioner. Hope I don't have to stay in there all summer.

It's her place, I'm only renting. When the faucet broke she ordered a new one, which was like one of the cheapest on the Home Depot website. She's rented the place out before, but frankly she doesn't seem all that capable dealing with things that need to be fixed/replaced/repaired. I can understand why she wanted to rent the place right away, but she didn't even check up on stuff that *should* have been fixed before I moved in. Oh, and did I mention it hadn't been cleaned?

In other news, the Lane Bryant bras I spent an hour trying on/searching for still don't fit my ginormous boobs right. The other styles they had were worse, but I had no choice and bought these 6.

Oh, and the dumb shit at State Farm Insurance can't figure out how to transfer my NJ car and apartment insurance to NY. I called them 2 weeks ago. My car insurance is active, but right now there's technically no insurance on the apartment.

This week is starting off awesomely. /sarcasm

Here's the sitch: I had Comcast until I moved about 2 weeks ago. They were expensive but I got all my channels, and after a bit of tweaking, was able to get a decent download rate on torrents (they throttle torrent traffic).

I canceled their service on March 23. I did it in person at 9 a.m., returned the box, and the moment I did, literally, everything shut off in my apartment.

I was looking at my checking account this morning and noticed they had taken $161.39 directly from my checking account (as I had direct debit set up) on March 31, which, hello, WTF?

After I called once I learned they charge a month in advance, and I would be credited $156.10.

Okay...but then I thought about it. Wait a second. What happened to that other 5 bucks? They billed me for April when they weren't supposed to, and then keep 5 dollars of my money, PLUS the eight days I didn't use service for the remainder of March? Hells to the no.

I called them back and spoke with the lovely Ashley. We were on the phone for half an hour, in which I was trying to explain the problem as succinctly as possible: Comcast billed me for April, and I want that whole $161.39 back, PLUS a refund for the eight days I didn't use the service at the end of March. When people have service outages they get credits on their account. I wanted something like that.

At first she wanted to give me just the month of April, but I explained that they had billed me for the full month of March back in February, and since I didn't use the whole month, I should get what amounts to eight days of credit.

As I explained this she was typing it all out into an e-mail to her supervisor, and then told me the supervisor would make sure the account was credited. Thanks I said, but can I have the exact amount?

She asked me for my phone number to call me back, and I gave it to her, assuming I'd never hear from dear, sweet Ashley again. But she called me back, as promised! Crazy!

As I waited I did a little calculator math, and figured that the cost of one day of service from a typical 30-day month was about $5.37. Multiply that by 8, and it's a good chunk of change.

She had figured that out too, but based it on my actual monthly charges, which were a little less. Finally, she told me I will be getting (*fingers crossed*) a check for $203.96!!! WHOO.

Now with any luck, that check will actually arrive! (And yes, I made sure they had my new address, LOL).

I finally got around to watching Kings today at lunch, and I really enjoyed it. I know ratings were low, but I think that had more to do with its Sunday night 2-hour pilot than anything. It's much more suited to watching online on Hulu with only a few short commercial interruptions. I hope they let the full series run.

I called State Farm to get a new insurance quote for NY, and I suppose -- not surprisingly -- that living in a town with a higher population and an even higher crime rate makes a difference in price, LOL. At first the agent quoted me double of what I pay now, and then I was like, "Uh, that won't work." I have to pay comparable amounts, give or take, to what I pay now so I can, y'know, eat.

So I had to lower some coverage, but I went from $125 a month in NJ (highest car insurance in the nation!) to $147 in NY (Yonkers represent!). Please note that I'm 34 years old, single, a female, and have never been in an accident or had a ticket (touch wood). My driving record is pristine. I'm sure most of you pay that per *year* in some places. Jebus. And I still have a $1000 deductible for collision!

Luckily the car will be taking me to and from trips to the grocery store and other small errands. It's essentially "driven for pleasure" and that cut down on a lot of the cost.

Luckily my monthly expenses even out with FiOS. That's going to be $95 a month, whereas right now I'm paying $160 a month for Comcast for much shittier service. More for the car, less for TV. I can deal.

So I'm waiting for the guy I sold the Angel puppet to to send me the remainder of my money. Jebus, I hope everything is on the up and up and I don't get scammed. I kinda need that money. I'm gonna be really pissed if I don't get my money.

The guy who lost his bus tickets that I mentioned about here finally contacted me. Well, I suppose threatened is a better word. I found his tickets Tuesday night when I bought my own. On Wednesday morning I specifically was late to work so I could hang a sign asking the guy to contact me at my Gmail address.

I used Gmail because I didn't want whackos writing me. So Wednesday evening goes by and I don't hear from him. Thursday I went to talk to the super at my new place, and by the time I got back to my girlfriend's apartment (where I was cat sitting) it was almost 9 and time for SPN and I didn't check e-mail. I can't check web mail in work because of a firewall.

Then Friday night I decided to check before I went to bed, and I had 3 e-mails from the guy. The first one gave his number. Then the second was like, "You now have my name and phone number. You need to contact me." Then the third one was all, "If you don't contact me I will go to the police because you are trying to scam me." I was like, The Fuck?? I was so pissed off that I didn't sleep well at all. Here I'm trying to do something nice and return the $45 worth of tickets to this guy, and he's threatening me!

I wrote him back and basically told him to chill the fuck out and that I was sincere in wanting to return his tickets, and that just because I didn't write back to him *in one day* does not mean I'm scamming him for Chrissakes. Gah. I even said that his reaction gave me second thoughts about my Good Samaritanism.

He then wrote back and apologized, saying that he may have overreacted. You think? Anyway, he doesn't work too far from my office and I need to get another set of keys made for my new place, so I'll return the tickets while I'm out at True Value Hardware. Still. The whole thing irks me.

I spent $250 on paint and supplies for the new place. I can't live with a kitchen with purple walls and ceiling. I did have a 10% off coupon that Lowe's sent me when I changed my address with the Post Office online. Cool for that.

My apartment still doesn't look like I'm ready to move in a week. I feel exhausted and mentally drained from doing all this.

This week's Battlestar Galactica didn't help, either. Both Supernatural and Battlestar Galactica are incredible downers!! Next week is the end for BSG. Stop making me cry, Mary McDonnell!!!

This is via Valleywag.com. Would you like to see a map of all the people across the U.S. who contributed money in order to get California's Proposition 8 -- the measure that changed California's state constitution to prohibit two people who love each other gay marriage -- passed?

Sure you do!

Visit Eightmaps and make sure you click to view the map larger. If you're in California, zoom in on the map to see specific towns.

On the East Coast I only found one: Dr. John Templeton Jr., president of the John Templeton Foundation which "serves as a philanthropic catalyst for research and discoveries relating to what scientists and philosophers call the Big Questions. We support work at the world's top universities in such fields as theoretical physics, cosmology, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and social science relating to love, forgiveness, creativity, purpose, and the nature and origin of religious belief."

He lives near Bryn Mawr, PA. He also donated $450,000. Yes, $450,000.

While I don't intend to seek a grant from the John Templeton Foundation any time soon, I can still call him an asshole.

I got ginger ale (the lowest soda on the food chain) instead of Diet Dr. Pepper from the soda machine today at lunch. This sums up my mood perfectly today.

*sigh*

Oh, and it's fucking snowing.

EDIT Chewy McLipsmack was lost in the massive layoffs a few weeks back, but now I have Keyboard Pounder.

I swear to fucking God I could break each and every one of that person's fingers. FUCK.