Claudia and Duffy

And in the steering I have found that the rudder turns the wheel and I'm upside down

Last night, after the King College people called and told me they'd hired somebody else, I was lying in bed feeling very blue and about five years old. My wonderful roommate Rachel came breezing in and made up a ridiculous lullaby for me about how horrible my day had been and how I was going to go to my boss at my summer job (who is a huge, intimidating black man who would do anything for me) and he'd go "persuade" some people to change their minds. She had me laughing until I cried (not very difficult with how tired and grumpy I was to start with) and then bluntly quoted back to me some advice I'd given her several months ago when she was similarly discouraged. I took my medicine like a good girl, meekly went to sleep, and woke up in a much cheerier mood. I'm sure I don't deserve such a good friend...and if I did stay in Chattanooga, I could still keep her around. A well of ointment in every fly, as they say!

And tonight I get to go spend some time with my dear friend Mad Goat Shaw. After reading the fourth Harry Potter book and encountering Mad-Eye Moody, I am imagining a goat in her head that runs around permeating everything with its gaze along its crazily bouncing path. Yep, that's pretty much the way it is. She never fails to make me feel like myself again. I wish I could bottle her for a refreshing spray to keep in my purse after McGee takes her away from me.

Hmmm. When Harry Potter Met Sally - JK Rowling creates a love dodecahedron, starring Billy Crystal as the balding but still endearing wizard with a lightning-shaped scar...