We decided to ditch the lender that was "working" with us on our refi and go with a different company. The new guy says he can have our loan closed within two weeks if we don't run into any underwriting problems, and I think I actually believe him. Of course, it's possible that I'm just a colossal rube who will end up photocopying and FedExing the same damn stack of documents another three or four times, but today, I feel hopeful.

Much more fun than hanging out at Kinkos was visiting with Mike and Heather this weekend. They drove up from on Friday afternoon, a time when the drive from San Diego to Orange County feels only slightly shorter than the drive from Mexico to Canada, but they were none the worse for the wear. They're about to move, so we wanted to spend some time together before they leave Southern California, and we were overdue for a visit, anyway--Mike pointed out that their last trip up this way was nearly a year ago. It doesn't seem nearly so long to me, but I have no concept of time.

Since they're in the middle of the hectic, surrounded-by-boxes phase that precedes moving, Mike and Heather were, I think, looking forward to spending a bit of time relaxing. The evening was appropriately mellow. We ordered pizza and chatted. Jeff and I also had the pleasure of introducing our guests to both Hedwig and the Angry Inch and a few Adult Swim favorites, including the first "Mooninites" episode of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," which I am convinced is one of the funniest fifteen-minute blocks in television history.

We ended up going to bed well after 3:00 am, so it was late morning before we finally rolled out of bed. By "we," I mean "everyone except Mike," who only got three hours of sleep, but was preternaturally fueled by large quantities of Mountain Dew. After a pancake breakfast, we lazed around, talking and playing games until the late afternoon. I even had a good time playing Trivial Pursuit, despite the fact that I'm terrible at Trivial Pursuit. You'd think I'd do well in the "literature" category, but my failure to love mystery novels and nineteenth-century Hallmark poets leaves me hamstrung. Thanks, Mike and Heather, for not mocking me mercilessly!

Today, I am determined to restore my study to some semblance of order, and to finish some reading for my dissertation. It's re-reading, actually, but it's one of my primary texts, so I need to know the play better than I do. At some point, I also need to fit in a nap, as I inexplicably woke up at 4:00 in the morning. Without coffee, I'd be lost.