Intro to Bub's Place

We've named our summer sublet Bub's Place, which happened all on its own. The door has a weak latch, so that unless bolted, it opens at random moments. But it seeemed to me that a ghost was a better explanation, and I named him Beelzebub. Bub takes the credit for most strange noises or motions.

Bub's Place is equipped with free On Demand, wireless internet, and a small library of classics and history texts stored here by the sublettors. Needless to say, I'm a fan, and wish the sublease didn't expire at the end of the summer. My sister would say we've nested, based mostly on the windowsill plants, Mary Rose the rosemary and Simon the basil. But since these delectable herbs belong to Amy, I still feel that no uncomfortable nesting label applies to me.

My success on the job front has been very much in line with the economy (which is now my least favorite word). Someday I'll need to face up to the fact that although my resume is such that most employers do a doubletake, it isn't the kind that makes them spring for the phone. In hiring an office assistant, do you want the sweet older lady with years of experience, or the cute(?) younger sled dog handler/dog walker/wildlife volunteer who spends no more than 6 months in one place? Admittedly, I look like an unsafe bet.

Over the weekend, my sister arrived from Columbus, I tortured her by walking her around the hills, then the next day we drove to the Massachusetts headquarters of my parents. There was an enthusiastic greeting from Ivanhoe, who was trying to figure out how to climb into two laps at once, and of course we got an update on my mother's recent Peru expedition. I stayed a day for the purposes of family time, then took the drive back. The biggest point of the trip was to transfer Valerie's car, a little Nissan named Zoe, to my tender care. V is busily following her heart to Germany, and I have no objection to taking charge of my adorable four-wheeled niece. That's how selfless I am.

And now I've returned to the various quests of Pittsburgh. Finding a job, staying in shape, catching up with friends, and keeping my sanity. Maybe I should think less.