"how much you get?" "foot and a half... on the second floor."

We're finally watching Treme, David "The Wire" Simon's series about a poor New Orleans neighborhood in the aftermath of Katrina.

Christ. If that storm had hit just a year earlier, before the 2004 election... well. I doubt I'd be in Vancouver, for one thing.

Also, when John Goodman is one of the least interesting parts of your show, either you have an amazing cast or you are criminally underusing John Goodman.

---

Today:

• Catbox
  
• Call Canada Revenue about missing tax refund Tax return accepted, will finally be processed on Friday.
  
• Write to a random internet person Wrote to TWO random internet people! This is, in fact, more soul-crushing than jobhunting is.
  
• Jobhunt Nothing new available. I did schedule a final interview for Thursday at a place that it would probably not totally suck to work.
  
• Eat a thing Eggs and toast! Of which, one came out fine if v.slightly undercooked, and one overcooked. Still tasty.
  
• Viola
  
• Organize scattered novel brainstorming notes, preferably into something resembling an outline, or at least a structure.

Right. Back on my head.

the linkspam in its natural habitat

The True Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Never Truly Ate the South: "Kudzu has appeared larger than life because it’s most aggressive when planted along road cuts and railroad embankments-- habitats that became front and center in the age of the automobile."

I'm Getting Really Tired of My Mysterious Flaky Friend: "Mostly, she was just a really good listener, always asking questions and wanting to know more about you -- where did you grow up? What are your parents like? Did they get each other anniversary gifts? Did they use a top-tier security system or own dogs? Stuff like that." This may well be the best thing I have read on the Toast.

Tattúínárdǿla saga: If Star Wars Were an Icelandic Saga: "Meanwhile Lúkr shipwrecks on an island in the Faroes called Dagóba (the name is of unknown origin but probably Celtic) where he meets and is trained by the great warrior Jóði, who was a companion of Víga-Óbívan in his youth; Jóði continues to incite Lúkr to kill Veiðari, but his remarks are confusing in the text as preserved and are probably much damaged by later redactors – the word order is considerably jumbled and many of his comments reflect anachronistic Christian sentiments." Oh man, this is GREAT. (via vass)

Elopement in Situ: "More than anything, I think, we were introverts who didn't want a fuss made; our devotion to one another did not need a public demonstration to be real." THIS. I met Jonathan and Jennifer at Farthing Party, and wish they lived close enough that our paths would cross more often.

The Most Metal Deaths in Middle-earth, Ranked: "Gandalf died after he, 'Threw down my enemy... and broke the mountain-side where he smote it in his ruin,' which is the most metal line in the entire trilogy, and possibly all of English literature."

The Sea of Crises: an article on sumo, an attempted coup, and being lost in yourself in Tokyo. Long but worth reading.