So, I thought I had a huge, long-suffering work problem solved when I left the office yesterday. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Lots more drama in the inbox this morning, so that’s something I gotta solve, or at least make some progress on. Oh well, I guess that’s why they pay me the big bucks, except when they don’t, as also in the inbox this morning was official guidance from the budget office about what happens should the current Continuing Resolution expire on Thursday (thankfully, after my paycheck hits my account this time) without some sort of replacement.

Joy.

I did manage, after spending much of the week down for the count with the kiddie plague, to get through a dance class without dying, and mostly remembering the steps to the big fancy 16-hand ceili after being away from it for reasons of illness, weather, and whatnot for several weeks. That’s something. It did me good to get out, especially since the house is in the midst of a big clean-up/room move (re-building “guest/craft” room and kicking a kid’s bedroom upstairs), so the whole place is a wreck-in-progress, which is doing wonders for my calm.

I also, well after most of the first day of February was in the can, noticed several of my friends and musical co-conspirators are doing February Album Writing Month (FAWM) this year, and decided I needed one more thing on my plate, so I started up as well. For the uninitiated, FAWM is another one of those ‘be creative on a schedule’ things like NaNoWriMo, where you take a given period, usually a month, and make something – a novel, art, or in this case, 14 songs in 28 days. Worth a shot.

Sitting with my phone’s memo app in my hand last night waiting for class to start, I took a prompt from WTForecast!?, which described the conditions last night as “the moon thinks you’re an asshole”, and came up with this mostly-a-song about a pathetic werewolf:

The moon thinks you’re an asshole
It’s likely right, you know
It watches you out prowling every night
And turns its nose up at your howl.

Lycanthropy’s a strange affliction
What with all the change
The shifting sinew, joint and bone
And increasing risk of mange

It’s tough to run out with the pack
When you’re the only were- in town
The vampires look at you with pity
And shun you when you come around.

It was supposed to be all tooth and claw
And pouncing naked round the glade
Instead it’s getting tangled in your sweatpants
and having to wear the cone of shame

Flea bites itch just that much worse
when they follow you back to human form
the spray won’t work on pasty butt flesh
this should be awsome but it’s a curse

Sterling silver dinner service
at your girlfriend’s mother’s tea
leaves your hands all blotched and rashy
disapproving glances linger awkwardly

the moon thinks you’re an asshole
it’s likely right you know
it watches your out prowling every night
and it turns its nose up at your howl

So there’s that. I kind of hear it in a Tom Waits-style growl. More progress on things as the month goes on.

The weekend is going to be what it is. The weather’s unpleasant, but I’ll deal. Today’s Groundhog Day, so things will probably come back around to bite me again. Tomorrow is my lovely spouse’s birthday – we’ve got plans to join some friends (one of whom is also having a birthday tomorrow) for dinner at a pub downtown. Otherwise, I’m not planning on much.

Here’s some music I didn’t write, but merely coaxed out of my Pandora feed:

1. “I’m Fine” – Hazel English
2. “Bliss” – Softer Still
3. “Shout (7″ edit)” – Tears for Fears
4. “Pine Woods” – Korpiklaani
5. “Girls, Girls, Girls” – Mötley Crüe
6. “Young” – Frankie Cosmos
7. “Beat It” – Michael Jackson
8. “What Kind of Man” – Florence + The Machine
9. “Blut Und Feuer” – Varg
10. “Little Boy” – The Donnas
11. “Easy” – The Commodores