The Best Planned Lays

Last night as planned I built the new-ish PC, new motherboard and CPU in a new case. It didn't come up.
( computer foo behind the cut )

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I'm on my laptop at Starbuck's - I could do this at home, my wireless works fine without the PC - but the eye candy is much much better here across the street from the CHM and movies. There's a new barista who is hotness-cuteness personified. And many young hotties in cut-offs. Back east we called them shorts, but out west shorts is usually men's underwear. Women in men's underwear are not (to me) as sexy as women in short cut-offs. Call me old fashioned.

So I've been catching up on LJ and email, of which there was a flood last night and tonight. Very happily surprised to see many of my BayCon photos in johnnyeponymous's Drink Tank 130 (you can check it out on efanzines.com). Any of her friends who have not yet done so need to read caprine's latest posts.

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Before whacking away on the PC, it was a Good Day. Work featured an all-hands meeting and BBQ, catered with good food. I got a chance to chat in Thai a little with boss' wife, and play with their baby girl who is truly adorable. This from me, who generally doesn't like babies. Wish I had my camera. And I managed to drop a piece of chocolate-mousse-whipped cream cake all over the leg of one of the HR people. It was top-heavy and just fell as she put it on the plate, what can I say? Hella embarrassing way to be introduced, though.

They gave us the afternoon off, so I went home and rode my bike (had to pump up the tires first) around the neighborhood. Felt good. Maybe tomorrow I'll try Shoreline Park. Or a new route over Rengsdorff.

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Watched the first two episodes of Dr. Who series 3 on DVD. More later but the main point is the new companion is, IMHO, the best yet. Finally they chose to build a character whose intelligence doesn't have to be discovered little by little. And DDG. And empathic. Rose, for all her good points, was basically a skank. 

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This morning talked to landlady about the National Water & Power billing snafu. My line was this:
Me: Accounting 101. If you have paid all your bills, what should your balance be?
Her: Zero
Me: Then why does this show $73 as my balance?
Her: That's ridiculous!

She said she would have the weekday manager take another stab at calling them, armed with this zero balance concept. She is a very good landlady, and has been very supportive on this.

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So, plans for today:

Do something outdoors.
Change the litterbox
Take another stab at the PC rebuild

Tomorrow:
Bicycle

 

Wife Vs. Secretary

Next up in the Jean Harlow film festival was Wife vs. Secretary an awkward name, not really descriptive but close enough.  Myrna Loy is married happily,ecstatically to Clark Gable. Jean is Gable's able secretary. Jimmy Stewart, billed as "James" Stewart, is her boyfriend. Gable's mom sows the seeds - on a visit to Gable's office she sees Jean and later tells Myrna to have Gable fire the sexpot.

There's nothing going on between Gable and Harlow except a diligent secretary working long hours (including being on call) for her boss. All business, though it's plain that she would have wanted more if Gable had as much as dropped a hint. Which he didn't.

The usual plot stuff ensues which makes it look to Myrna like Gable is boinking Harlow. She goes from trusting to jealous in way too short a time, thanks to Gable's mom, whose husband apparently was  a major philanderer.

It's a small but excellent cast, they used the film as an excuse to have a junket in Havana, but all they shared with us was the airport. Sound stages for the rest. Good photography,fairly simple costumes and set. Well written, though there could have been a smoking gun scene, something which gives Myrna more cause to suspect her beloved trusted husband.

Harlow more than holds her own as an actress in this one. Unfortunately for her fans, though, she is conservatively dressed for the whole film.

I give it three stars on the Netflix chart.