Wow, having a civilian job is great. This is like four straight years worth of tough decisions being validated right now. I'm really hype about how good the health coverage is at my new job, which I realize is basically saying "I like this job because if I get sick they won't just cut their losses and let me die." Which is somehow a thing you don't see much of anymore.

Anyways, what makes me appreciative these days is that I recently asked for some time off both for New Years and for FC, fully expecting them to blow one or both back in my face, as has always been customary. They approved both immediately and without incident. That's amazing, but as I'd long presumed failure and only recently had the temerity to ask, I haven't really planned this out and I'm left without a place to sleep. Naturally the place has been booked solid for months and everybody's already got their arrangements made. I REALLY don't want to buy plane tickets without securing a shelter first, but of course those tickets become more expensive by the minute and... bguh. So yeah, if you have any leads on space let me know. It would be really cool if this could actually work. A lot of my bay-area friends have started to reference my FC trips as an "annual tradition", and I guess with three consecutive such trips under my belt now, they're not exactly wrong!