England’s most scandalous murder trial in several years is finally over. A jury convicted Barry George of the Jill Dando murder. Unlike the OJ Simpson case, I think the public are going to be very happy with this verdict. Personally, I’m glad that he’s being put away. The neighborhood where he lives (and where the crime took place) is, like, just one Tube stop over from mine.

My sister arrives!She’s heeeeere!
Yeah, so part of the reason I’m irritable today is that I’ve been up since 5 a.m. Snookums and I had to haul ass to Heathrow in time to meet my sister, who was due to arrive at 7:20. Due to some freaky-ass 100 mph tail winds, her flight arrived half an hour early. I had fortuitously checked BA‘s website the night before, though, so we were there with plenty of time to spare. (That’s her just stepping outside the Arrivals door. I caught her mid-blink.) She’s going to be here for a few months killing time before going to grad school or something. At any rate, the first item on her agenda is to get a J-O-B.

New Poll: What do you use for your password? (Sorry I got so catty in the responses. It’s Monday morning and I feel a little on edge.)

Good gracious. How much would I LOVE to have a 35-hour work week?! It’s not the hours so much as the days. Even at 40 hours I’d prefer to work four 10-hour days and have an extra day of weekend. (I’m here for 10 hours most days anyway.) I could – dare I say it? – have a LIFE.

In honor of the fact that Snookums, Ferret, and I watched six – yes, SIX – episodes of Buffy Saturday, here’s a timely list of Things I Will Do If I Am Ever the Vampire. (Thanks to John for the link.)
 
Did I tell you about when we bought the Season 2 DVD? We actually got it at Tesco, which is a British supermarket that also happens to sell DVDs and CDs and appliances and stuff. So we pick up the empty box and head to the checkout to pay and get the actual discs. The guy rings through our other stuff and then does a double-take when he scans the box. “Seventy-five quid? That can’t be right.” “Uh, yeah, it is.” And he’s like, “How many are in there?” And we’re like, “Six.” He looks at us like the geeks we are. “You guys really like Buffy, huh?” We’re now thoroughly embarrased. “Uh, yeah.” He didn’t say anything after that, but I could tell he just wanted to get us out before any of our nerddom rubbed off on him. 🙂

Snookums was telling me about this computer password survey recently. Twelve hundred users were asked which category their passwords fit into. Nearly half were in the “family” group, using their own name or nickname or somebody in their family’s name. “So many people tend to subconsciously believe that their password has to sum up the very essence of their being in one word.” Which is funny when you think about it, because nobody (hopefully) ever sees it! I’ve got four passwords that I tend to rotate. One’s a book, one’s a film reference, and two are places. Hmmm… This might make an interesting poll (since I seem to have lost a lot of you with the Heathers reference).

Amy’s coming to London!

I didn’t find much bloggable today. I think I’ve got an addiction to online content. When there isn’t enough new stuff, I get bored and cranky. I’ll sit here obsessively clicking through my list of links, just waiting for the magic moment when Max or Brigita will publish their new material for the day. Obviously I’m having a bit of a slow period at work. Which is part of it, because I should remember that not everybody spends 10 hours a day online like I do. Other people have lives. Maybe I should try to get one of those.

Anyhoo, my home life will be experiencing a much needed change anyway… because my sister is arriving this Monday to live with me for a few months! Yes, Amy’s going to give London a shot. And contrary to popular believe, no, I’m not forcing her to earn her keep as our housemaid. We’re gonna get her set up in a pub job so we can score lots of free beer. You know, the summer is looking up already!

Huge hugs and good luck go out to my buddy Tara D, who’s competing in this acting/comedy/improv “Survivor” type thing at a Chicago theater tonight. It’s actually been going on for over a month now, and every show a few more people get voted off. Her opening monologue (which I saw when I went home last month) was a dramatic reading of New Kids on the Block’s “Hangin’ Tough.” HILARIOUS. TARA D IS THE STAR OF TOMORROW! And if she wins, she gets five hundred bucks! I wish I were there to vote for her. Good luck TD!