How's it going, kats and kitties? Life, as it's apt to do, has kept me busy... I'm unsure if I've given a proper employment update recently so, perhaps that's worth starting with... I've gone back to my well-tread roots of register jockeying. There's a local dry cleaners that I've been a customer of on-and-off for the past 5+ years. They'd thrown a classifieds ad looking for a part-time position, likely to quickly transition into full-time. Is this our hero's first choice of employment re-entry? No, but with most things there are plans within plans...

In truth, I already have a job lined up. My good friend, Dave the Chef, will be opening a restaurant locally with a well-established partner. It's been a casual topic of discussion between us when he'd first leaked this hushed good news more than a month ago. Shortly after departing my human serives agency, AmazonRed13 had suggested I give him a buzz and check in as to where the project's at. We talked shop, my abilities playing with knives, whether I had an affinity for the 60-hour work week and if I didn't mind working every holiday save Arbor and Flag Days. I was then sworn into his kitchen staff Fedaykin elite guard.

The questions that this left me begging to ask were, "When exactly does all of this start?" -or- "Will this venture interfere with my aspirations for culinary school?" These were answered, for the most part, on Sunday's annual 4th o' July BBQ he hosts. It's something that I've only been able to catch once or twice in our five-year friendship as I'd been already well-versed in working every holiday. I arrived to Jane's Addiction bootlegs blaring, kids in the pool splashing at all available targets (both in and out of the water) and a table spread wide with grilled goodness.

The attendees were AmazonRed13 showing off her bruises from her recent physical brush with a charging brick wall; her boy, Dave and his scooter-mob pals rode around veggie-friendly fair; Phoebe, the chef's peanut whom I'd never met; Mike D. and his daughter and Cass from Lovecraft Tattoo, whom it seems half of New Haven has secreted a crush on at one time or another.

Anyway, I digress... The restaurant opening wouldn't be until October, November at the latest. The location has been nailed down and the lease will be signed in the upcoming month. I wouldn't be picked up to start working until the month or so prior to opening so, until then my assignment was to master the Spanish language. Since I originally hoped to have a set plan involving culinary school set to their winter session, I'm not sure that the initial restaurant hours will allow for the learning. We'll see what the spring session may hold...

My Independence Day was spent helping DarkRabbit assemble a 27 foot above-ground pool in his backyard... It was a project that had started Sunday & had been extended through both yesterday and today. The instructions stated that assembly could be managed under 6 hours with an experienced team of two. What it neglected to say was this experienced team of two could, in fact, control time, had no needs to eat and were impervious to sunburn. Our team of three were none of these things. Today DR will most likely be filling the fucker part way, straightening the liner, assembling the last of the super-ladder and trying not to punch it or any other self-appointed job foreman.

Anything else...? Nothing that can't be saved for next time.