insert fire pun HERE.

An eventful day!

1) I am now the "Certificate of Fitness Holder" for FDNY exams F-90, F-94, and F-33! But you can just call me Fire Guard. Or Fire Drill Conductor. Or person in charge of visually mainting fire alarm systems. (That one isn't as catchy.) I took my tests this morning at 9 MetroTech Plaza in downtown Brooklyn-- which looks strangely like downtown Albany. I was there for about three hours, all told- an unimaginably complex shuffle-dance of getting a number, filling forms out, sitting, going to a window, getting a new number, going across the hall, sitting, waiting....over and over and over. All that matters is that I got my stinkin' certifications. And now I can stop worrying about it.

2) Nitz came over in the afternoon. We kvetched and went to Peter Pan for donuts. Delicious.

3) I worked my first legal shift as House Manager tonight.

4) Aldo gave me a bunch of books yesterday, including an amazing copy of The Postman Always Rings Twice. It was meant to be-- I am seriously in love. It's the pulpiest pulp I've ever read- if Clifford Odets had a lovechild with whoever it is that James Ellroy modeled himself after. It really is coming at the right time- I've been thinking about reading some James Ellroy lately-- it's always a process (wow, this is interesting for other people)-- but this is better. I mean, I KNOW I'm a sucker for stuff like this, where people talk in sentences that sound like machine-gun fire, and everyone's always punching each other. Here's an part that made me grin:


"That's what we're going to do. Kiss me, Frank. On the mouth."
I kissed her. Her eyes were shining up at me like two blue stars. It was like being in church.



And that, folks....is that. Now, excuse me while I go snuggle up with my electric blanket and the aforementioned book.