there's a lingering smell in the apartment and i can't track it down. it's been pervading the space for the past week or so and i've been growing increasingly disturbed. the garbage's been taken out, the dishes done, the sink thoroughly drano'd but the smell's still here.

i don't think it's is getting stronger, although i fear i might be getting acclimatized to it. i'm paranoid that someone walking by our door will get bowled over by what they perceive to be the most repulsive of stenches. next thing i know, police will bust in to check that there aren't five decaying bodies in the suite.

speaking of which, i should really go roll those into the ocean soon.

anyway, it's one of those unidentifiable smells -- it's not dirty laundry, dog poo, or rotting food -- i don't think. it will be my mission this weekend to track it down and eliminate it. problem is, the sense of smell is so fickle; i've been trying to trace the source for days now, and each time i think the smell might be getting stronger, i lose it.

...

the supervisor invited me and my sweetie to wine and dine this prospective faculty member into coming here -- mostly so that my sweetie could explain his research to this dude. we went to this upscale-ish fish restaurant and i ordered an octopus-bacon-wrapped scallop appetizer. on the fancy-schmancy plate was the easily identifiable scallop as well as this mystery cube.

from the outside, it looked like agedashi tofu. i cut into it under the assumption that it was agedashi tofu.

it exploded in this spurt of brownish grey; some sort of gravy/sauce -- part of it landed right on the perfect white tablecloth.

yeah, i'm rad.

i don't even know how they made that thing. maybe they freeze the gravy into little cubes then deep fry them. *shrug*

point is, i disgraced myself in front of my supervisor, this new dude and his fiancee, and another prof and his architecture wife.

also, because i went to this dinner, i missed bowling for JW's birthday. but i did get a really really expensive meal for nothing.

i met JW and his crew a little later, when JW spilled beer on my foot from a gourd he got for his birthday. he's not going to feel that good tomorrow.

...

my simulations take 5 hours to run on my computer. this degree totally sucks.