So, I just found this lovely note from the landlord.

Happy Birthday, Jesus.

The rent man knocked.
He said, Howdy-do?
I said, What
Can I do for you?
He said, You know
Your rent is due.

I said, Listen,
Before I'd pay
I'd go to Hades
And rot away!

The sink is broke,
The water don't run,
And you ain't done a thing
You promised to've done.

Back window's cracked,
Kitchen floor squeaks,
There's rats in the cellar,
And the attic leaks.

He said, Madam,
It's not up to me.
I'm just the agent,
Don't you see?

I said, Naturally,
You pass the buck.
If it's money you want
You're out of luck.

He said, Madam,
I ain't pleased!
I said, Neither am I.

So we agrees!

So I've been absent a bit lately. I've been busy. I took a trip to visit my little brother's grave and ended up staying a while in my hometown, which is why I haven't been here dispensing medical advice.

Then I get home and I find that when all that rain hit, my window has been leaking like crazy and my sheets need to be replaced. Bugger.


( Private )

The Lifetime movie and the drinking game that accompanied it last night were both quite enjoyable. Thank you, Ino, for having me over. You handled your liquor surprisingly well.

Today is my birthday, and I'm going to be relaxing up on the roof to celebrate. Anyone who wishes to commiserate may join me, as there will be free booze and cake to be had. Bring a lawn chair.

Well, my tattoo has had some time to stop stinging, which is good. I chose to get a tattoo of a flower. It is an asphodel flower, said in Greek mythology to grow on the fields of Hades and to serve as food for the dead. When used in a floral bouquet, it represents weariness and regret. The flower itself is rather lovely, actually.

While I was at the tattoo parlor, I happened to meet one of the nice young men who lives here at Lysgar. He is now the new bouncer at Sammy T's. Funny how things work out like that.

"The Golden Girls" is quickly becoming my favorite show. I'd considered watching some of the new and trendy TV shows coming on this Fall season, but I think I'll stick with the reruns on Lifetime instead.

Shizune, when's a good time for me to visit the petstore where you're working now? I'd like to see the little piggy you're always talking about.

So, I've decided to get a tattoo to celebrate my upcoming birthday. Any suggestions?

I think I'm going to lock myself in the apartment for the next two days and watch the Golden Girls marathon on lifetime. I suppose that show makes me feel better about my age. ... Yes.

So, let's face it. Raw egg and pepper is gross. If you get a hangover, a remedy that tastes better is a banana milkshake sweetened with honey. Bananas help calm your stomach, combined with the honey to help replenish blood sugar, while the milk rehydrates your system. Interesting, no?

In other news, it seems Jiraiya has moved out, at least temporarily. Jerk. Also, Shizune is back. Other new people have moved in, too.

They've changed around my shifts at the bar, slightly. They've given me more hours working in the lounge, playing the piano and singing. So, I picked up a little keyboard to practice at home in my spare time. My playing's gotten slightly rusty, I'm afraid.

Life's been pretty average lately, except for a few minor things. Like the kid who slept on the couch a few nights. He was polite, at least.

Shizune is still out of town. Not exactly sure when she'll be getting back, but I know that the workshop that she went to is pretty important. Hopefully she'll be able to graduate soon and get a better job than working at a bar like me.

Speaking of bars, Naruto came to visit me the other night. Snuck in through the bathroom window to do it, though. Naruto, next time you want to come visit, just have the bouncer draw big "X" marks on your hands and they'll let you in. Despite the fact that the bouncer is big and has some very frightening tattoos, he's actually a pretty nice guy.

For some reason the topic of learned helplessness has been coming to my mind quite a bit lately.

The theory of learned helplessness was developed by the psychologist Martin Seligman. Even though the theory was formed from research on dogs, the principle ideas can extend to human psychology as well.

It went like this. A control group of animals was kept in an enclosure which was rigged to deliver electric shocks through the floor at random intervals. The dogs, unable to escape, eventually quit trying to get away from the painful shocks. This behavior, termed learned helplessness, continued even when one of the walls was lowered so that the dogs could have easily jumped over if they had chosen to.

How much abuse does someone have to recieve to give up entirely, even when presented with a means of escape?