you know your life is seriously out of whack when at some point during a 3-day weekend, you find yourself eager to go back to work, not because you are so enamored with your job, but because you are so deeply disenchanted with your personal life. nevertheless, I was able to pass the time by:

• seeing About A Boy, which is actually about a couple of Boys. regardless, I would recommend it to most Boys and those unfortunate enough to love them.
• buying and absorbing the new Elvis Costello CD. I read a review saying that EC uses so many metaphors on this disc, it's hard to tell exactly what it is he's going on about, and I tend to agree, but there is something about the way he spits out lyrics with unbashed scorn and petty vindictiveness that I find strangely comforting, especially considering that I don't much care for that sort of tone in real life. but music is not real life. if it was, Love really would be All You Need and money would be obsolete. for instance.
• watching the season finale of Buffy, which I found somewhat listless and disappointing, although I may have gotten it confused with my life.
• spreading joy like a fine layer of manure on a corn field.