Conservatives are already whinging, using the retort "well, we listened to you for eight years."
Here's my reply to them, under my "elemenopy" username there:
Here's the irony - the stuff we complained about? We were right about, for the most part. We went into Iraq under false pretenses. We failed to get bin Laden. The "No Child Left Behind" act was not funded, and schools are ridding themselves of music, sports, and other activities that help develop children's minds beyond teaching to a test.
You did not listen to our concerns. Our concerns were brushed off and we were called terrorists, traitors, and anti-American. Since you refused to work with us, we worked together - community organizing, if you will - to change the direction of this country.
Now, we'll welcome you to work with us and find compromises. You'll find that despite some hard feelings, many of us want to work together. And if you don't feel you can work with us to improve our great nation, you're welcome to wait it out, do your own community organizing, and vote another candidate into office.
And we, unlike you, won't mock you or your candidate for doing so.
Your call.
Thread: http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=3997520
05 November 2008
04 November 2008
CONGRATULATIONS TO BARACK OBAMA
The black cloud is lifting, and I feel wonderful. Redeemed, even, as I watch Freepers scream they're running away to Canada (how... ironic). I pray that the Republican party, as it currently stands, evaporates. I pray that the Republican party regains its roots of actually being a party of small government and fiscal conservatism, and that it casts off the leadership by the terrifying "religious right."
I do believe the Republican party has a future. But not as it is now - it needs return to its TRUE values.
In the meantime, the energy of this nation is tremendous right now - so many people are excited, and people have hope for the future... an emotion that has been kept blanketed by screams of "traitor" or "unamerican" or "unpatriotic" since 2001. We move forward together, and I'm proud again to be an American.
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.
I do believe the Republican party has a future. But not as it is now - it needs return to its TRUE values.
In the meantime, the energy of this nation is tremendous right now - so many people are excited, and people have hope for the future... an emotion that has been kept blanketed by screams of "traitor" or "unamerican" or "unpatriotic" since 2001. We move forward together, and I'm proud again to be an American.
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.
Rhode Island Voting Report
I came, I saw, I voted. And if you're a U.S. citizen, you should today as well.
Rhode Island polls are open from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. With our work/commute schedules, we always go first thing, as the polling place is right around the corner from our house.
We arrived at 7:10. Short wait - people had definitely been there for the door opening, as there were a stack of the ballot privacy folders on top of the optical reader already (signifying that people had already cast ballots, for those of you not familiar with them). Rhode Island votes the basic way - pen and paper, draw a line to connect the head and tail of an arrow toward the person you're voting for.
There were six different candidates, plus a write-in line, on our ballot for President. I voted straight Democratic Party ticket, plus yes on both of our budget concerns - we have bridges crumbling (notably... I-95, which now has a severe weight limit on it) that need to be fixed. I pay taxes for civilization - and fixing crumbling infrastructure is a big part of that.
I'm glad I'm done, I did my part. Now I just have to sit back and watch the results. While yes, it looks good for Obama, I've learned never to take anything for granted with some portions of American society.
And I'm damn proud to 1) have survived the nightmare of George W. Bush, and 2) voted for Obama. The last dark eight years are almost over.
Thank Gods.
Rhode Island polls are open from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. With our work/commute schedules, we always go first thing, as the polling place is right around the corner from our house.
We arrived at 7:10. Short wait - people had definitely been there for the door opening, as there were a stack of the ballot privacy folders on top of the optical reader already (signifying that people had already cast ballots, for those of you not familiar with them). Rhode Island votes the basic way - pen and paper, draw a line to connect the head and tail of an arrow toward the person you're voting for.
There were six different candidates, plus a write-in line, on our ballot for President. I voted straight Democratic Party ticket, plus yes on both of our budget concerns - we have bridges crumbling (notably... I-95, which now has a severe weight limit on it) that need to be fixed. I pay taxes for civilization - and fixing crumbling infrastructure is a big part of that.
I'm glad I'm done, I did my part. Now I just have to sit back and watch the results. While yes, it looks good for Obama, I've learned never to take anything for granted with some portions of American society.
And I'm damn proud to 1) have survived the nightmare of George W. Bush, and 2) voted for Obama. The last dark eight years are almost over.
Thank Gods.
27 October 2008
UK Trip Recap - Journal Entry 14 October 2008
I'll be typing up my handwritten journal entries over the next few days for my trip recap. Weird spellings and broken trains of thought are from the journal - I figure I might as well be a purist in this and just use the immediate reactions I had. :)
----
14 October 2008
Stratford-Upon-Avon
We returned just a few minutes ago from seeing Hamlet at the RSC. Absolutely fabulous! And contrary to my husband's teasing, I didn't stare only at David Tennant the entire time - the entire cast was fantastic (!!).
But still the fangirl in me is all thrilled that I have now seen David perform - in person - and... and now also have seen Patrick Stewart perform on stage, which I've dreamed about since my early teens.
It's hard to believe that the original catalyst for our entire trip - seeing Hamlet - is now past us. It was so worth every penny (pound?).
The almost entirely blank set, save the mirrors and reflective stage, were used in such an interesting way, and right from the start! In the first full scene, the guards and Horatio are on watch, seeing the ghost of Old Hamlet, and rather than having stage spotlights, the actors provided lights themselves, bouncing the beams of slashlights off of the stage surface into the face of one of the others - very clever!
As much as I loved David and Patrick (more on that in a moment), I think Polonius stole the show. I don't remember him beng the slightly absent-minded, tangent-loving old man from reading or watching previous versions. But here I felt he was oddly endearing, not so slimy as int he Mel Gibson version as I remember. Oh, how he made the audience laugh!
Laertes looked so familiar. His program bio had nothign I'd remember, though - I shall have to look him up on IMDB when I get home.
I like dthat the scene in Gertrude's bedroom (and yes, I'm lazy and not referencing the exact scene numbers) wasn't as overtly sexual as I've seen it interpreted before. The hints are still there - a strong undercurrent. But the raw anger expressed instead made a lot of sense... it seemed very "true."
Seeing Patrick Stewart perform has been a dream of mine since I was 13 or 14. I learned of him through Star Trek, of course, but while I was a teenager, he also performed a one-man version of A Christmas Carol on stage, and I desperately wanted to go (but never dared ask Mom for tickets - she'd think I was very weird).
His presence on stage is amazing - his voice just booms from the stage, and his diction is so clear. He played both the ghost of Old Hamlet and the King in this production, and I think the combination worked perfectly. It was an absolute treat, and I'm so happy to have one of those longtime goals fulfilled.
And onto another goal - THE goal that brought us here - to see David Tennant in Hamlet I think Russell T. Davies has it right in his Production Notes in Doctor Who Magazine - I can say I was there. Hamlet. RSC 2008.
Absolutely thrilled. to. bits. Beginning to end, I saw Hamlet. Yes, my more annoying fangirl mind broke through fromt ime to time, but I saw Hamlet. He was a destroyed man in mourning. he was mad. He was hysterically funny. I stand amazed - David acts with every ounce of his being. His body movements, his facial expressions, his words - all are perfect.
And like I said - I am amazed.
One particular point got me - after Hamlet has broken from Horatio and the guards to follow the Ghost and hear its tale, he has a soliloquy on stage -and he was staring right at me. Now, I know he wasn't actually looking at me - I was merely in the way of his focal point. But for one small moment - many lines, in fact, I was breathlessly still because David was staring at me, and for that time, i felt like it was only me in the theatre. Just amazing.
I am in awwe. And osm eof me can't believe that it's now over. At least... Hamlet is. Tomorrow is Love's Labour's Lost. :)
One thing I'm very thankfully about - Maria and Michelle had originally planned on goign to the theatre door after the performance to get autographs. I wasn't keen - over the months I've heard the horror stories, so I wanted to stay away. While yes, I'd love to have David's autograph, I'd much prefer to send him a small note via his agent to compliment him, but still give him at least the portion of privacy that I can provide.
Michelle was chatting with two ladies who work for the RSC, and from what they said,t he poor guy has just been bombarded. So I was happy when Michelle and Maria decided not to go. We stayed for the curtain calls (only a few people standing - perhaps standing O's are not British proper?), and then headed for a pint, wandering into the dark Stratford night, where the streets were dead silent within a half-hour after the play.
More thoughts tomorrow - it's now 1:20 a.m.... must sleep!
-----
More recap stuff tomorrow, once I get some photos uploaded! :)
----
14 October 2008
Stratford-Upon-Avon
We returned just a few minutes ago from seeing Hamlet at the RSC. Absolutely fabulous! And contrary to my husband's teasing, I didn't stare only at David Tennant the entire time - the entire cast was fantastic (!!).
But still the fangirl in me is all thrilled that I have now seen David perform - in person - and... and now also have seen Patrick Stewart perform on stage, which I've dreamed about since my early teens.
It's hard to believe that the original catalyst for our entire trip - seeing Hamlet - is now past us. It was so worth every penny (pound?).
The almost entirely blank set, save the mirrors and reflective stage, were used in such an interesting way, and right from the start! In the first full scene, the guards and Horatio are on watch, seeing the ghost of Old Hamlet, and rather than having stage spotlights, the actors provided lights themselves, bouncing the beams of slashlights off of the stage surface into the face of one of the others - very clever!
As much as I loved David and Patrick (more on that in a moment), I think Polonius stole the show. I don't remember him beng the slightly absent-minded, tangent-loving old man from reading or watching previous versions. But here I felt he was oddly endearing, not so slimy as int he Mel Gibson version as I remember. Oh, how he made the audience laugh!
Laertes looked so familiar. His program bio had nothign I'd remember, though - I shall have to look him up on IMDB when I get home.
I like dthat the scene in Gertrude's bedroom (and yes, I'm lazy and not referencing the exact scene numbers) wasn't as overtly sexual as I've seen it interpreted before. The hints are still there - a strong undercurrent. But the raw anger expressed instead made a lot of sense... it seemed very "true."
Seeing Patrick Stewart perform has been a dream of mine since I was 13 or 14. I learned of him through Star Trek, of course, but while I was a teenager, he also performed a one-man version of A Christmas Carol on stage, and I desperately wanted to go (but never dared ask Mom for tickets - she'd think I was very weird).
His presence on stage is amazing - his voice just booms from the stage, and his diction is so clear. He played both the ghost of Old Hamlet and the King in this production, and I think the combination worked perfectly. It was an absolute treat, and I'm so happy to have one of those longtime goals fulfilled.
And onto another goal - THE goal that brought us here - to see David Tennant in Hamlet I think Russell T. Davies has it right in his Production Notes in Doctor Who Magazine - I can say I was there. Hamlet. RSC 2008.
Absolutely thrilled. to. bits. Beginning to end, I saw Hamlet. Yes, my more annoying fangirl mind broke through fromt ime to time, but I saw Hamlet. He was a destroyed man in mourning. he was mad. He was hysterically funny. I stand amazed - David acts with every ounce of his being. His body movements, his facial expressions, his words - all are perfect.
And like I said - I am amazed.
One particular point got me - after Hamlet has broken from Horatio and the guards to follow the Ghost and hear its tale, he has a soliloquy on stage -and he was staring right at me. Now, I know he wasn't actually looking at me - I was merely in the way of his focal point. But for one small moment - many lines, in fact, I was breathlessly still because David was staring at me, and for that time, i felt like it was only me in the theatre. Just amazing.
I am in awwe. And osm eof me can't believe that it's now over. At least... Hamlet is. Tomorrow is Love's Labour's Lost. :)
One thing I'm very thankfully about - Maria and Michelle had originally planned on goign to the theatre door after the performance to get autographs. I wasn't keen - over the months I've heard the horror stories, so I wanted to stay away. While yes, I'd love to have David's autograph, I'd much prefer to send him a small note via his agent to compliment him, but still give him at least the portion of privacy that I can provide.
Michelle was chatting with two ladies who work for the RSC, and from what they said,t he poor guy has just been bombarded. So I was happy when Michelle and Maria decided not to go. We stayed for the curtain calls (only a few people standing - perhaps standing O's are not British proper?), and then headed for a pint, wandering into the dark Stratford night, where the streets were dead silent within a half-hour after the play.
More thoughts tomorrow - it's now 1:20 a.m.... must sleep!
-----
More recap stuff tomorrow, once I get some photos uploaded! :)
23 September 2008
A freeverse and quite possibly pathetically sappy open letter to my husband…
Can you believe it’s been a year?
I love you so much, and I don’t say it as often as I should. I try, instead, to show you how I love you through my actions, through those small grasps on your thumb that you get amused by, or the gentle squeezes once in a while, doing household chores, or through chili and turkey and other food experiments that seem to be successful. You eat them, anyway... so if they are truly awful, I'm glad you're not brusing my cooking trial too much. :)
You make me feel like the luckiest woman on Earth, Erich. Knowing that at the end of difficult days I’ll be returning to a home that’s loving and secure and, messes aside, a completely healthy relationship is something I know not all women (or men) get to experience. I know I’m far from perfect as a human being, yet you’re always telling me that within our little family circle, I am. (I still don’t believe you, of course… but I think that’s mostly to prevent myself from getting an overinflated ego).
And actually, I think I am the luckiest woman on Earth. I have you.
You remind me to laugh at myself, you encourage me to always improve myself, and you watch amusingly as I go through fandom addictions just like I am amused at yours. We’re so frighteningly alike in so many ways, yet different enough that we can challenge and complement each other. I hope that I am as good a wife to you as you are a husband to me.
While growing up, I was convinced that I’d never find someone because I was just so geeky and atypical. I never was into the girly stuff at all – no Barbies, hated makeup, could care less about fashion or hairstyles, despised all of the fangirl b.s. (for the most part, anyway). I preferred sci-fi, computers, dirt bikes, losing myself in books and scraping my knees as I went exploring the sandstone cliffs near the house. And even now, as you know, I’m not all that keen on being girly most of the time. To find a guy that not only tolerates that but loves so many of the things that I enjoy – I am truly blessed.
Happy first anniversary, hon. I love you and am thankful every day that we’re together.
I love you so much, and I don’t say it as often as I should. I try, instead, to show you how I love you through my actions, through those small grasps on your thumb that you get amused by, or the gentle squeezes once in a while, doing household chores, or through chili and turkey and other food experiments that seem to be successful. You eat them, anyway... so if they are truly awful, I'm glad you're not brusing my cooking trial too much. :)
You make me feel like the luckiest woman on Earth, Erich. Knowing that at the end of difficult days I’ll be returning to a home that’s loving and secure and, messes aside, a completely healthy relationship is something I know not all women (or men) get to experience. I know I’m far from perfect as a human being, yet you’re always telling me that within our little family circle, I am. (I still don’t believe you, of course… but I think that’s mostly to prevent myself from getting an overinflated ego).
And actually, I think I am the luckiest woman on Earth. I have you.
You remind me to laugh at myself, you encourage me to always improve myself, and you watch amusingly as I go through fandom addictions just like I am amused at yours. We’re so frighteningly alike in so many ways, yet different enough that we can challenge and complement each other. I hope that I am as good a wife to you as you are a husband to me.
While growing up, I was convinced that I’d never find someone because I was just so geeky and atypical. I never was into the girly stuff at all – no Barbies, hated makeup, could care less about fashion or hairstyles, despised all of the fangirl b.s. (for the most part, anyway). I preferred sci-fi, computers, dirt bikes, losing myself in books and scraping my knees as I went exploring the sandstone cliffs near the house. And even now, as you know, I’m not all that keen on being girly most of the time. To find a guy that not only tolerates that but loves so many of the things that I enjoy – I am truly blessed.
Happy first anniversary, hon. I love you and am thankful every day that we’re together.
08 September 2008
Final UK Itinerary done...
*gasp* I know - I'm alive! Actually, just been very, very busy this summer. But yes, we're both okay - and actually, we're much better than we've been for a while. :)
I'll write a catch-up post later - but just had to do some bouncing up and down. Our trip to the UK is now only about a month away, and we've finally finished our itinerary. :)
Erich and I sat down yesterday, figured out hotels and where we're going, for how long, etc. We've had to sacrifice one leg of the trip (to Edinburgh), but it was the right one to make. We're thinking we'll plan another trip in the next couple years to do a full Celtic trip - Scotland and Ireland, and give both countries the attention they really deserve (and that we want to give them - rather than a stupid and honestly worthless overnight to Edinburgh that was the only possibility this round).
So... here's the plan. If our paths meet and you want to get together, fantastic! Just drop me a line here or via email (measiwitch@gmail.com) and we can plan something, even if it's just a pause for a cuppa somewhere. :)
Oct. 13th - arriving late into London. Staying overnight in the city.
Oct. 14th - train to Stratford in a.m., wander around town Hamlet @ 7:15
Oct. 15th - touring Stratford/Warwick Castle. Love's Labour's Lost @ 7:15
Oct. 16th - train to Cardiff, wandering city a bit once we get there.
Oct. 17th & 18th - Cardiff and day trip to Bath
Oct. 19th - train to London
Oct. 20th to 23rd - Touring London with a day trip up to York somewhere in there
Oct. 24th - home to Boston
If you've been to these places and would recommend we avoid something, please let me know. I've already heard some negative reviews on Shakespeare's birthplace as being not quite worth the admission, for example.
We have definite plans for Warwick Castle, Cardiff Castle, all sorts of random Doctor Who/Torchwood related stuff, and history geeking in both Bath and York.
*squee*
I'll write a catch-up post later - but just had to do some bouncing up and down. Our trip to the UK is now only about a month away, and we've finally finished our itinerary. :)
Erich and I sat down yesterday, figured out hotels and where we're going, for how long, etc. We've had to sacrifice one leg of the trip (to Edinburgh), but it was the right one to make. We're thinking we'll plan another trip in the next couple years to do a full Celtic trip - Scotland and Ireland, and give both countries the attention they really deserve (and that we want to give them - rather than a stupid and honestly worthless overnight to Edinburgh that was the only possibility this round).
So... here's the plan. If our paths meet and you want to get together, fantastic! Just drop me a line here or via email (measiwitch@gmail.com) and we can plan something, even if it's just a pause for a cuppa somewhere. :)
Oct. 13th - arriving late into London. Staying overnight in the city.
Oct. 14th - train to Stratford in a.m., wander around town Hamlet @ 7:15
Oct. 15th - touring Stratford/Warwick Castle. Love's Labour's Lost @ 7:15
Oct. 16th - train to Cardiff, wandering city a bit once we get there.
Oct. 17th & 18th - Cardiff and day trip to Bath
Oct. 19th - train to London
Oct. 20th to 23rd - Touring London with a day trip up to York somewhere in there
Oct. 24th - home to Boston
If you've been to these places and would recommend we avoid something, please let me know. I've already heard some negative reviews on Shakespeare's birthplace as being not quite worth the admission, for example.
We have definite plans for Warwick Castle, Cardiff Castle, all sorts of random Doctor Who/Torchwood related stuff, and history geeking in both Bath and York.
*squee*
28 July 2008
Monday musings...
Just because I haven't in a long while, I'm posting this to my blog at measi.net, too...
This past weekend was a bit odd and scatterbrained. A good one, and for the most part I finally feel like I had a productive weekend that didn't leave me feeling like crap for not doing XYZ. I did some chores. I did some writing. I also goofed around. So all in all - the balance I needed.
Friday night was the X-Files movie, which I did enjoy even if I was well aware going in that it wasn't going to be fantastic. It was fun. I think it was definitely geared more toward existing fans, and I don't expect many new fans of the series to come from this movie. But eh, no big deal. Enjoyed it, loved seeing Mulder and Scully go on another adventure together, and laughed along with many others in the audience. So good times. :)
On Saturday, Ivanna was up in the area, and the original plan had been to get together, but the party she said was happening was a bit too far away for our tastes, so we wound up not going. I'm going to have to plan some sort of a weekend to go down Easton-NJ way and see people instead.
We did finally get some good yardwork done on Saturday - the trumpet vines and wild honeysuckle needed to be tamed back quite a bit in the front yard along with weeds that had managed to grow taller than Erich (no... really. 6'4" foot high weeds). Thankfully with rain, they pulled right out of the ground, so it wasn't too difficult of work for me. Erich mowed a decent amount of the yard, and it's starting to look somewhat tamed back.
I focused a majority of this weekend on writing - my ficathon deadline was extended until August 2nd, and while I know where the story is going, I've really been having difficulty getting the "that's what we need to do!" point in the story out through my fingers and move properly. Lots of characters spinning around waiting for me to figure out where they're going. The irony is that the next chapter is already 3/4 written - so it's a basic "get from point A to point C" type situation. But my brain just has not been able to write in a way that I'm happy with.
I realize that I could be a complete slacker, ignore the years of "show, don't tell" that was beaten into me with every writing course I've taken. And yes, I realize it's fanfic and nothing earth-shattering and that it doesn't have to be good. I see fanfiction, however, as a way to practice and perfect writing - working on creating strong, fluid dialogue, improving story pacing, etc. It's a bit of a writer's workshop to me. So even though it's not for a grade or wage, I do take it seriously - perhaps too seriously.
Anyway, I think I've got the solution, and it's progressing nicely now - albeit a bit slower than I would want. I really need to push to get the chapter done today so I can get it to beta tonight and allow folks appropriate time to check them over. I'm concerned that the last two chapters may wind up too late for beta work, and I'll just have to risk it on my own.
Worst comes to worst - I had a half-day planned for Thursday. I'm already planning to spend a good portion of it at Borders writing.
More distractions were added to the home this weekend, too. Matt bought a copy of Lego Indiana Jones (which, from the little I saw, was absolutely hysterical). We also picked up our copy of Rock Band. The guys jammed a bit last night - I was offered the singer position, but I only recognized one of the three initial songs, and couldn't sing it anyway, so I just sat and watched (I generally hate to sing in front of other people. I can carry a tune okay... but I don't have a particularly strong voice and am just a bit too shy about it. That's why I play an instrument instead).
I also picked up two Sims2 expansions, although my CD-ROM drive seems to have died again... so it's off to purchase a new one before I can install.
Busy, busy, busy...
And now off to work!
This past weekend was a bit odd and scatterbrained. A good one, and for the most part I finally feel like I had a productive weekend that didn't leave me feeling like crap for not doing XYZ. I did some chores. I did some writing. I also goofed around. So all in all - the balance I needed.
Friday night was the X-Files movie, which I did enjoy even if I was well aware going in that it wasn't going to be fantastic. It was fun. I think it was definitely geared more toward existing fans, and I don't expect many new fans of the series to come from this movie. But eh, no big deal. Enjoyed it, loved seeing Mulder and Scully go on another adventure together, and laughed along with many others in the audience. So good times. :)
On Saturday, Ivanna was up in the area, and the original plan had been to get together, but the party she said was happening was a bit too far away for our tastes, so we wound up not going. I'm going to have to plan some sort of a weekend to go down Easton-NJ way and see people instead.
We did finally get some good yardwork done on Saturday - the trumpet vines and wild honeysuckle needed to be tamed back quite a bit in the front yard along with weeds that had managed to grow taller than Erich (no... really. 6'4" foot high weeds). Thankfully with rain, they pulled right out of the ground, so it wasn't too difficult of work for me. Erich mowed a decent amount of the yard, and it's starting to look somewhat tamed back.
I focused a majority of this weekend on writing - my ficathon deadline was extended until August 2nd, and while I know where the story is going, I've really been having difficulty getting the "that's what we need to do!" point in the story out through my fingers and move properly. Lots of characters spinning around waiting for me to figure out where they're going. The irony is that the next chapter is already 3/4 written - so it's a basic "get from point A to point C" type situation. But my brain just has not been able to write in a way that I'm happy with.
I realize that I could be a complete slacker, ignore the years of "show, don't tell" that was beaten into me with every writing course I've taken. And yes, I realize it's fanfic and nothing earth-shattering and that it doesn't have to be good. I see fanfiction, however, as a way to practice and perfect writing - working on creating strong, fluid dialogue, improving story pacing, etc. It's a bit of a writer's workshop to me. So even though it's not for a grade or wage, I do take it seriously - perhaps too seriously.
Anyway, I think I've got the solution, and it's progressing nicely now - albeit a bit slower than I would want. I really need to push to get the chapter done today so I can get it to beta tonight and allow folks appropriate time to check them over. I'm concerned that the last two chapters may wind up too late for beta work, and I'll just have to risk it on my own.
Worst comes to worst - I had a half-day planned for Thursday. I'm already planning to spend a good portion of it at Borders writing.
More distractions were added to the home this weekend, too. Matt bought a copy of Lego Indiana Jones (which, from the little I saw, was absolutely hysterical). We also picked up our copy of Rock Band. The guys jammed a bit last night - I was offered the singer position, but I only recognized one of the three initial songs, and couldn't sing it anyway, so I just sat and watched (I generally hate to sing in front of other people. I can carry a tune okay... but I don't have a particularly strong voice and am just a bit too shy about it. That's why I play an instrument instead).
I also picked up two Sims2 expansions, although my CD-ROM drive seems to have died again... so it's off to purchase a new one before I can install.
Busy, busy, busy...
And now off to work!
12 June 2008
Hoodz
We've now had Hoodsie indoors for about a year. As you can tell by the photo, he's um... struggling horribly with being an indoor kitty. Clearly malnourished, not comfortable, etc. (riiiight)
Don't even think you can tickle that belly, by the way. It's the perfect human lure. As soon as you try, he does the clawtrap method of feline attack.
(and OMGlookatthetoes!)
Don't even think you can tickle that belly, by the way. It's the perfect human lure. As soon as you try, he does the clawtrap method of feline attack.
(and OMGlookatthetoes!)
04 June 2008
Updates, stuffage, and such
It's been kind of a long time since I posted... thought I should do an update since I have some quiet time to myself today...
First, I'm doing just fine, aside from a small health issue. So's Erich, so are my parents, and so is my brother. Just busy. Really busy.
Work's great. Nothing big to really report there. I'm happy where I am. :) Only news somewhat related to work is a 7-alarm fire that happened on Friday next door at a 4-generation run seafood distributor. I've put pictures up in my Flickr account. Today they're tearing down the ruins, and the smell is horrid. 60,000 pounds of lobster plus whatever other fish/seafood remains? Ick. I'm just thankful it's rainy and in the 60s today, not the 90s.
The final part of Erich's Mom's estate is hopefully to be resolved soon - he and his aunt are selling the house that they inherited via Erich's grandparents. Just waiting on the town to approve the septic system upgrade that was required. Having that house out of our responsibility will be fantastic. Talk about a money pit. *sigh*
I'm recovering from an annoying back pull that happened three weeks ago. It's so stupid - I was picking up a binder at work. Completely harmless thing, but I moved just the wrong way. Three weeks later, I've gone through a round of muscle relaxers and percocet, and I'm dealing with a pinched nerve that teases me some days with going away, and flaring up on other days. *sigh* I only missed one day of work, but I am getting extremely tired of limping. Gimpy!Mel is in full force.
Thoroughly enjoying the new series of Doctor Who. Catherine Tate is fantastic, and the timing between she and Tennant is hysterical. Sad to think that after this series ends, there are only a couple specials to fill a long wait until 2010. *sigh*
BUT... I do get to see Tennant (and Patrick Stewart) in Hamlet in a few months over in the UK. Really can't complain!
Absolutely thrilled about Obama's victory. I hope that Clinton supporters will vote Democrat this year - I know a lot have threatened to switch to McCain, but I would hope with all that's at stake, that they would continue with the party. We need change in this nation. Bush's presidency has been an absolute disaster, and although the majority of the nation has finally come to realize what many of us who knew this years ago (but were denounced as unpatriotic), I don't know how this nation will vote. But of course, everyone should vote his/her conscience. *crosses fingers* Change needs to happen.
So yeah - I'm fine. Just been busy, as always. :) Granted, I don't even know if anyone still reads this blog!
Best,
Mel.
First, I'm doing just fine, aside from a small health issue. So's Erich, so are my parents, and so is my brother. Just busy. Really busy.
Work's great. Nothing big to really report there. I'm happy where I am. :) Only news somewhat related to work is a 7-alarm fire that happened on Friday next door at a 4-generation run seafood distributor. I've put pictures up in my Flickr account. Today they're tearing down the ruins, and the smell is horrid. 60,000 pounds of lobster plus whatever other fish/seafood remains? Ick. I'm just thankful it's rainy and in the 60s today, not the 90s.
The final part of Erich's Mom's estate is hopefully to be resolved soon - he and his aunt are selling the house that they inherited via Erich's grandparents. Just waiting on the town to approve the septic system upgrade that was required. Having that house out of our responsibility will be fantastic. Talk about a money pit. *sigh*
I'm recovering from an annoying back pull that happened three weeks ago. It's so stupid - I was picking up a binder at work. Completely harmless thing, but I moved just the wrong way. Three weeks later, I've gone through a round of muscle relaxers and percocet, and I'm dealing with a pinched nerve that teases me some days with going away, and flaring up on other days. *sigh* I only missed one day of work, but I am getting extremely tired of limping. Gimpy!Mel is in full force.
Thoroughly enjoying the new series of Doctor Who. Catherine Tate is fantastic, and the timing between she and Tennant is hysterical. Sad to think that after this series ends, there are only a couple specials to fill a long wait until 2010. *sigh*
BUT... I do get to see Tennant (and Patrick Stewart) in Hamlet in a few months over in the UK. Really can't complain!
Absolutely thrilled about Obama's victory. I hope that Clinton supporters will vote Democrat this year - I know a lot have threatened to switch to McCain, but I would hope with all that's at stake, that they would continue with the party. We need change in this nation. Bush's presidency has been an absolute disaster, and although the majority of the nation has finally come to realize what many of us who knew this years ago (but were denounced as unpatriotic), I don't know how this nation will vote. But of course, everyone should vote his/her conscience. *crosses fingers* Change needs to happen.
So yeah - I'm fine. Just been busy, as always. :) Granted, I don't even know if anyone still reads this blog!
Best,
Mel.
14 May 2008
Important instructions...
Well, at least the city has a sense of humor, eh? But yes, these are the official signs. It's not the only one I've run across.
I took this at lunch near my office building. It's in one of the new parks that have replaced the ugly elevated portion of I-93 that cut through downtown Boston in the pre-Big Dig era. This particular sign is in the park portion next to International Place... and is blocking the view to the spot where the Boston Tea Party took place. :)
I took this at lunch near my office building. It's in one of the new parks that have replaced the ugly elevated portion of I-93 that cut through downtown Boston in the pre-Big Dig era. This particular sign is in the park portion next to International Place... and is blocking the view to the spot where the Boston Tea Party took place. :)
18 March 2008
03 March 2008
Jury Duty, Day One
The court released us early today (hooray!), so I'm home at 2:30 p.m. It was a very unexciting morning. Showed up, took the jury oaths, watched a very school-like "Jury Duty rah-rah-rah" video... then went back to the jury lounge, where I waited the morning away.
Apparently there were three potential cases, but none required juries - so we were released at noon. I took advantage of the nice day and walked down Benefit Street, admiring the buildings of Old Providence & the lower part of Brown University campus, grabbed lunch on Wickenden Street again... and then walked downtown, past the canals, to the bus stop.
The court gave us the choice of either free parking validation or RIPTA bus vouchers. I took the latter. Bus ride home was relatively quick. Drops me off a block from the house. Not bad.
The one good thing about jury duty? I got a decent amount of draft writing done. About six pages in my notebook longhand. :)
I do have to report again tomorrow - service is a mandatory two days here in Rhode Island. Apparently until only a few years ago, it was a mandatory two WEEKS. Eep!
At least it's better than my experience in Boston for Grand Jury... I was quite thankful to see seats in a room, rather than the floor in a hallway I got in Boston several years ago.
So I have the rest of the afternoon to get stuff done. Was feeling a bit bleh yesterday, so I'll try to catch up on some stuff today to make me feel like I didn't completely blow the weekend away.
Whee.
Tomorrow morning? I vote in the primaries. Then back to the court. Armed with little writing projects to do.
Apparently there were three potential cases, but none required juries - so we were released at noon. I took advantage of the nice day and walked down Benefit Street, admiring the buildings of Old Providence & the lower part of Brown University campus, grabbed lunch on Wickenden Street again... and then walked downtown, past the canals, to the bus stop.
The court gave us the choice of either free parking validation or RIPTA bus vouchers. I took the latter. Bus ride home was relatively quick. Drops me off a block from the house. Not bad.
The one good thing about jury duty? I got a decent amount of draft writing done. About six pages in my notebook longhand. :)
I do have to report again tomorrow - service is a mandatory two days here in Rhode Island. Apparently until only a few years ago, it was a mandatory two WEEKS. Eep!
At least it's better than my experience in Boston for Grand Jury... I was quite thankful to see seats in a room, rather than the floor in a hallway I got in Boston several years ago.
So I have the rest of the afternoon to get stuff done. Was feeling a bit bleh yesterday, so I'll try to catch up on some stuff today to make me feel like I didn't completely blow the weekend away.
Whee.
Tomorrow morning? I vote in the primaries. Then back to the court. Armed with little writing projects to do.
21 February 2008
Thursday Thirteen: Random Morning Musings
Not awake for anything brilliant today. :) So I present the broken thought Thursday Thirteen.
- Over half of my mood icons on LJ aren't working right now. Weird. My webpage server must be having a hiccup.
- The lunar eclipse last night was very cool. Not the coolest one I've seen - that was in college when I saw a huge horizon eclipse loom over Boston from west campus (absolutely astounding, that one - one of those "Star Wars" moons), but cool regardless.
- WoW addiction has officially taken hold again. I'm not sure that's a good thing.
- On the other side, fanfiction addiction is slumping. I'm reading, of course. But not writing. *shrug* I'll get there.
- I miss cross-stitching. My pieces are screaming at me to get going again. That'll be one of the things I'll enjoy when Stitch, Bitch & Who dates kick back off again... whenever they actually wind up starting.
- My goal this weekend is to get all of the stupid little projects finished around the house. I have a lot of things that are half-done. That's my plan for Saturday.
- I learned the other day that my friends Frank & Teresa are expecting their first child. Very early on right now - only about 8 weeks. But they were hoping to become preganant, so it's very happy news. Only thing that makes me sad is they're moving to New York very soon as well (for the extended family support network), so I won't see them that often.
- I did the stupid thing of wearing a new white sweater on the day I'd planned to get Thai food for lunch. *sigh* That plan, needless to say, has been changed. I'd like to wear the sweater ONCE before getting it stained, at least.
- Why did I buy a white sweater, anyway? I should know better, with this boob-shelf.
- Covering reception all day tomorrow again, so I'll be having a fun day on LJ. I apologize in advance for posting spam. :)
- I think I'm developing a bit of a tolerance to my evening allergy meds. I've been waking up very sneezy lately. :( Although I am going to do a wash of the pillows this weekend in hopes that it helps a bit.
- Our cats are retarded. But this is not news.
- My coffee is broken. Need more.
- Over half of my mood icons on LJ aren't working right now. Weird. My webpage server must be having a hiccup.
- The lunar eclipse last night was very cool. Not the coolest one I've seen - that was in college when I saw a huge horizon eclipse loom over Boston from west campus (absolutely astounding, that one - one of those "Star Wars" moons), but cool regardless.
- WoW addiction has officially taken hold again. I'm not sure that's a good thing.
- On the other side, fanfiction addiction is slumping. I'm reading, of course. But not writing. *shrug* I'll get there.
- I miss cross-stitching. My pieces are screaming at me to get going again. That'll be one of the things I'll enjoy when Stitch, Bitch & Who dates kick back off again... whenever they actually wind up starting.
- My goal this weekend is to get all of the stupid little projects finished around the house. I have a lot of things that are half-done. That's my plan for Saturday.
- I learned the other day that my friends Frank & Teresa are expecting their first child. Very early on right now - only about 8 weeks. But they were hoping to become preganant, so it's very happy news. Only thing that makes me sad is they're moving to New York very soon as well (for the extended family support network), so I won't see them that often.
- I did the stupid thing of wearing a new white sweater on the day I'd planned to get Thai food for lunch. *sigh* That plan, needless to say, has been changed. I'd like to wear the sweater ONCE before getting it stained, at least.
- Why did I buy a white sweater, anyway? I should know better, with this boob-shelf.
- Covering reception all day tomorrow again, so I'll be having a fun day on LJ. I apologize in advance for posting spam. :)
- I think I'm developing a bit of a tolerance to my evening allergy meds. I've been waking up very sneezy lately. :( Although I am going to do a wash of the pillows this weekend in hopes that it helps a bit.
- Our cats are retarded. But this is not news.
- My coffee is broken. Need more.
19 February 2008
Weekend Wrap-Up
In addition to continuing LJ drama... I was a slacker for the long weekend.
So my ten plus hours of World of Warcraft on Saturday wound up being probably about eighteen or so over the weekend. Included in said WoWing was:
- Two full instances (Shadow Labs and Arcanium), to help scuba_mo, aka Basmon, with his key quest for Karazhan. I hadn't completely run either before, even though I was keyed for Kara - I was pulled into the instances for the key quests both times. :)
- Twelve Netherstorm area quests cleaned out of my quest log with Basmon & Erich (aka Abudiabudie)
- Nine daily quests
- Respecced Tennetty, created macros for her shots, and worked on the timing for said new shots (this will continue this week before I go back into Kara... I don't feel comfortable quite yet with it).
- Resupplied Tennetty after she picked up tremendously good equipment in Karazhan during last week's raids. My personal haul on 2/14 included my new cloak, chestpiece, legs, and boots. Had to buy all new gems for sockets, get new enchants, and upgraded the enchant on my axe. All told, about 550 gold spent, so finishing the quests in Netherstorm to save up some gold was appreciated. I still need to get the supplies for my gun scope, and hopefully upgrade one of the red gems because nothing I was thrilled with was in the AH.
Her spiffy upgraded spec looks like this now: http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Eonar&n=Tennetty
- Rolling up little noob blood elf females on Eonar with the boys late on Saturday night, and just running around the starting area with the quests... mostly nekkid. Absolutely stupid, silly stuff - but fun. And yes, the threesome included a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead. :) We're thinking we should totally make a silly named blood elf female guild for absolutely no reason other than to run around nekkid and tease other players online. If anyone else is interested for shits & giggles, roll up a female BE on Eonar, and then send a mail message to "Quela". :)
- Levelled my lowbie Druid, Silverhoof, up one more level.
Yeah, I'm a geek. Slacker geek.
I did, however, be practical for a bit yesterday and went out to buy new clothes since my old ones were getting... worn (or are ready for recycling/trashing). We went straight to the mall, so I went to Lane Bryant. Bought three new pairs of work pants (yes... blue SIX... friggin' salespeople, I TOLD YOU), two new twinset sweaters, and a new pair of pj's. All costing about $230. There were a few other nice pieces, but nothing that really, REALLY caught my eye. I may look around at Macy's and at the other plus-size stores in the area come next paycheck. My wardrobe needs an overhaul - and a cleanout.
But yeah - total slacker weekend. Which I honestly needed. I feel much better now, and feel up to tackling things again.
So my ten plus hours of World of Warcraft on Saturday wound up being probably about eighteen or so over the weekend. Included in said WoWing was:
- Two full instances (Shadow Labs and Arcanium), to help scuba_mo, aka Basmon, with his key quest for Karazhan. I hadn't completely run either before, even though I was keyed for Kara - I was pulled into the instances for the key quests both times. :)
- Twelve Netherstorm area quests cleaned out of my quest log with Basmon & Erich (aka Abudiabudie)
- Nine daily quests
- Respecced Tennetty, created macros for her shots, and worked on the timing for said new shots (this will continue this week before I go back into Kara... I don't feel comfortable quite yet with it).
- Resupplied Tennetty after she picked up tremendously good equipment in Karazhan during last week's raids. My personal haul on 2/14 included my new cloak, chestpiece, legs, and boots. Had to buy all new gems for sockets, get new enchants, and upgraded the enchant on my axe. All told, about 550 gold spent, so finishing the quests in Netherstorm to save up some gold was appreciated. I still need to get the supplies for my gun scope, and hopefully upgrade one of the red gems because nothing I was thrilled with was in the AH.
Her spiffy upgraded spec looks like this now: http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Eonar&n=Tennetty
- Rolling up little noob blood elf females on Eonar with the boys late on Saturday night, and just running around the starting area with the quests... mostly nekkid. Absolutely stupid, silly stuff - but fun. And yes, the threesome included a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead. :) We're thinking we should totally make a silly named blood elf female guild for absolutely no reason other than to run around nekkid and tease other players online. If anyone else is interested for shits & giggles, roll up a female BE on Eonar, and then send a mail message to "Quela". :)
- Levelled my lowbie Druid, Silverhoof, up one more level.
Yeah, I'm a geek. Slacker geek.
I did, however, be practical for a bit yesterday and went out to buy new clothes since my old ones were getting... worn (or are ready for recycling/trashing). We went straight to the mall, so I went to Lane Bryant. Bought three new pairs of work pants (yes... blue SIX... friggin' salespeople, I TOLD YOU), two new twinset sweaters, and a new pair of pj's. All costing about $230. There were a few other nice pieces, but nothing that really, REALLY caught my eye. I may look around at Macy's and at the other plus-size stores in the area come next paycheck. My wardrobe needs an overhaul - and a cleanout.
But yeah - total slacker weekend. Which I honestly needed. I feel much better now, and feel up to tackling things again.
13 February 2008
WoW quest weirdness
*gasp* Not fandom! Well... perhaps it is. Just - alternative fandom.
And because it's going to be Greek (Tauren? Orcish?) to anyone who doesn't play World of Warcraft... I'll be a bit careful to explain things as necessary.
So my first character ("main"), Tennetty, is a happy level 70 Tauren hunter - max level you can have. But there's still plenty of stuff to do once you HIT that level. Literally it's like playing an entirely different game - the one to get you there, and then all of the stuff you do once you're there (group battles, advanced quests, daily quests, etc.).
Said level 70 game was put on hold until after the wedding because I just didn't have time to devote to it. Now that the wedding is behind me, I've been thoroughly enjoying blowing off steam and just killing time playing WoW. Got through all of my required quests that unlock some of the advanced stuff - and now I'm happily doing the 10-man raid instances with my guild. Until this week, my current weaponry/armor really only allowed me to do the first half of our current raid instance. This week, I was able to join the group for the latter tier. So I'm having a blast - getting some good gear, discovering gorgeous new places (really - one of my favorite things about WoW is just how beautiful the game world is... I can just go exploring and have a great time sight-seeing!)
This week, I was scheduled to run Karazhan both last night and tomorrow. Had some problems with my login, so my spot last night went to one of the other hunters in the guild - someone who hadn't been to Kara. People were all worried when I logged on, and I said no - it's cool. Get someone else geared. I'll bring Tennetty over to the front gates and leave her there in case someone needs to leave and you need a spot filled. But it was seriously no problem. At this point, I'd honestly prefer to be able to try the Thursday night session, since it's almost all new to me.
So I park Tennetty, log onto one of my lower-level alt characters, Kelima - a Troll Warrior - to do some questing/levelling. joined me on a hunter alt alt of similar level, and we cleared out a couple quests. I emphasize couple, because one specific quest took us nearly an hour because the drop rate on the items we needed to collect was so bad.
and here's where the WoW experienced will know what I'm referring to a bit better...
So bad, in fact, that even with the two of us sharing the kill XP, I managed to completely wrap around my XP bar 1.5 times. DURING THE QUEST. I started at level 23 last night. Levelled upon turning in a quest to start the evening. Then we go do this quest in the Barrens (collecting three weapons, killing three named Quilboars in the Barrens... mid 20's level). I wrap around, level, run out of rest XP as I'm still gaining XP - and then upon turning in the other completed quests in my log last night (I hadn't turned in for a while - I had nine to turn in!) - I'm now 3/4 the way to the NEXT level.
IN ONE THREE HOUR SESSION OF WOW.
All the while both of us are having to constantly throw out food, grey items, etc. out of our bags because they're now constantly full, but we're far enough away from town that neither of us really wants to run to just clear out bags.
Seriously... WTF? Not that I'm complaining (other than regarding the drop rate of those effing weapons)... but insane.
So yeah, with really only about 5 hours of play time, i've gone from level 21 to nearly 26 with Kelima this week. Not too shabby.
Of course, now she's out of rest XP, so I'll have her parked at the inn for a couple days to recharge. I need to work on my pet with Tennetty - I've been neglegent about feeding Mousedeath lately. I've had him since level 28, and recently his loyalty is back down to 3. Not good.
Never piss off a cat. Even in WoW.
*sigh*
Thus ends my geekdom for the day.
And because it's going to be Greek (Tauren? Orcish?) to anyone who doesn't play World of Warcraft... I'll be a bit careful to explain things as necessary.
So my first character ("main"), Tennetty, is a happy level 70 Tauren hunter - max level you can have. But there's still plenty of stuff to do once you HIT that level. Literally it's like playing an entirely different game - the one to get you there, and then all of the stuff you do once you're there (group battles, advanced quests, daily quests, etc.).
Said level 70 game was put on hold until after the wedding because I just didn't have time to devote to it. Now that the wedding is behind me, I've been thoroughly enjoying blowing off steam and just killing time playing WoW. Got through all of my required quests that unlock some of the advanced stuff - and now I'm happily doing the 10-man raid instances with my guild. Until this week, my current weaponry/armor really only allowed me to do the first half of our current raid instance. This week, I was able to join the group for the latter tier. So I'm having a blast - getting some good gear, discovering gorgeous new places (really - one of my favorite things about WoW is just how beautiful the game world is... I can just go exploring and have a great time sight-seeing!)
This week, I was scheduled to run Karazhan both last night and tomorrow. Had some problems with my login, so my spot last night went to one of the other hunters in the guild - someone who hadn't been to Kara. People were all worried when I logged on, and I said no - it's cool. Get someone else geared. I'll bring Tennetty over to the front gates and leave her there in case someone needs to leave and you need a spot filled. But it was seriously no problem. At this point, I'd honestly prefer to be able to try the Thursday night session, since it's almost all new to me.
So I park Tennetty, log onto one of my lower-level alt characters, Kelima - a Troll Warrior - to do some questing/levelling.
and here's where the WoW experienced will know what I'm referring to a bit better...
So bad, in fact, that even with the two of us sharing the kill XP, I managed to completely wrap around my XP bar 1.5 times. DURING THE QUEST. I started at level 23 last night. Levelled upon turning in a quest to start the evening. Then we go do this quest in the Barrens (collecting three weapons, killing three named Quilboars in the Barrens... mid 20's level). I wrap around, level, run out of rest XP as I'm still gaining XP - and then upon turning in the other completed quests in my log last night (I hadn't turned in for a while - I had nine to turn in!) - I'm now 3/4 the way to the NEXT level.
IN ONE THREE HOUR SESSION OF WOW.
All the while both of us are having to constantly throw out food, grey items, etc. out of our bags because they're now constantly full, but we're far enough away from town that neither of us really wants to run to just clear out bags.
Seriously... WTF? Not that I'm complaining (other than regarding the drop rate of those effing weapons)... but insane.
So yeah, with really only about 5 hours of play time, i've gone from level 21 to nearly 26 with Kelima this week. Not too shabby.
Of course, now she's out of rest XP, so I'll have her parked at the inn for a couple days to recharge. I need to work on my pet with Tennetty - I've been neglegent about feeding Mousedeath lately. I've had him since level 28, and recently his loyalty is back down to 3. Not good.
Never piss off a cat. Even in WoW.
*sigh*
Thus ends my geekdom for the day.
08 February 2008
Looking forward to the weekend
I'm a bit off-center this morning, mostly because Erich's cough sent him into the guest bedroom last night so he didn't have to feel paranoid about being restless (and allowing me to get some sleep). Very considerate of him, particularly since I am such a shitty sleeper as it is.
I did sleep, but I swear, even while asleep, I had this weird sense about being alone in the bed. Marriage is clearly getting to me. :) Not that we haven't slept in the same bed for six years now, of course... but still... there's a LOT of room for one person in a king-sized bed.
The extra room, of course, promptly filled up with cats. I woke up with three balls of fur in various spots on the mattress. I imagine at least one of the additionals was with Erich, playing nurse kitten. Hoodsie was undoubtedly downstairs on his ottoman. Cat #5 (whichever it was) was... wherever.
I have a lot to do this weekend, but I'm intentionally forcing myself to take as much of Saturday as possible to curl up in my office and do some brain-dump style writing. Whether on my OSK fic, other fic ideas, or just random schlock writing. I need to get myself comfortable with my own thoughts, and I just need to make the time for it. As I told Erich last night - what I really need to do is just set aside a day, dump off all of my chores and errands as "will do later" and just let myself go for it. If I plan other things to do, I won't be able to relax and write. It just won't happen at all.
So that's tomorrow's plan. We'll see what comes of it. I do have a lot of little snippets of ideas churning, so it literally may just be writing 100 word images in my head that have absolutely no coherancy beyond the immediate images. But hey, they'll be down in print. And I can see later if something comes of any of them. I just need to get them OUT. If I'm getting too distracted at home, a trip down to Borders for a pot of tea may be used as well.
Speaking of tea...
The sorority Tea is on Sunday afternoon for the potential new class ofpledges membership candidates, so I'll be going up to Boston for the afternoon. Should be fun. Hopefully goes well. Need to remember to go buy a car battery beforehand so I can actually get to Boston, though. That may have to kick off Saturday pre-writing.
I read last night that next week's Torchwood is a double-bill. Eps 5 and 6 will be shown back to back on BBC2. Six is the first of Martha's run on TW... we'll see if something's actually done with her character now that the dreaded unrequited love crap on Who is over.
Hmmm...
I did sleep, but I swear, even while asleep, I had this weird sense about being alone in the bed. Marriage is clearly getting to me. :) Not that we haven't slept in the same bed for six years now, of course... but still... there's a LOT of room for one person in a king-sized bed.
The extra room, of course, promptly filled up with cats. I woke up with three balls of fur in various spots on the mattress. I imagine at least one of the additionals was with Erich, playing nurse kitten. Hoodsie was undoubtedly downstairs on his ottoman. Cat #5 (whichever it was) was... wherever.
I have a lot to do this weekend, but I'm intentionally forcing myself to take as much of Saturday as possible to curl up in my office and do some brain-dump style writing. Whether on my OSK fic, other fic ideas, or just random schlock writing. I need to get myself comfortable with my own thoughts, and I just need to make the time for it. As I told Erich last night - what I really need to do is just set aside a day, dump off all of my chores and errands as "will do later" and just let myself go for it. If I plan other things to do, I won't be able to relax and write. It just won't happen at all.
So that's tomorrow's plan. We'll see what comes of it. I do have a lot of little snippets of ideas churning, so it literally may just be writing 100 word images in my head that have absolutely no coherancy beyond the immediate images. But hey, they'll be down in print. And I can see later if something comes of any of them. I just need to get them OUT. If I'm getting too distracted at home, a trip down to Borders for a pot of tea may be used as well.
Speaking of tea...
The sorority Tea is on Sunday afternoon for the potential new class of
I read last night that next week's Torchwood is a double-bill. Eps 5 and 6 will be shown back to back on BBC2. Six is the first of Martha's run on TW... we'll see if something's actually done with her character now that the dreaded unrequited love crap on Who is over.
Hmmm...
02 February 2008
Weird Week
This week was rough in a lot of ways - some of it mine/Erich's, but also with friends of mine. 2008 just doesn't seem to be off to a good start, and I'm already in that "do I need to keep my head down?!?" mode.
The me/Erich stuff is the final real battle in dealing with his mom's estate. As part of it, Erich inherited half of his grandparents' house in the town where he grew up in Massachusetts. Apparently his grandmother's name was the only one on the title, and she willed half to each of her daughters, and with Debbie passing, one half has passed to Erich. His aunt lives in the house, but does want to get out of it because it's too much for her to take care of, both size-wise and financially. And this house is NOT in good shape, nor has she even managed to maintain it.
So last week, Erich finds out that back taxes are owed. Next day, he finds out that it's two YEARS of back taxes owed. I can't fathom how his aunt lets TWO YEARS OF HOUSE TAXES slip. I really can't. Seriously... W.T.F?!?
Mind you - we've already dropped a decent amount of money to bail the aunt out here - a sizeable amount of our wedding gift money went towards this. Once I find out about the tax bills? I flip a gasket. Because now I see our tax refund immediately going to this thing - the tax refund that was going to be a sizeable amount of our financing toward the trip to England. And with the house now in that limbo between ownership and foreclosure because of this, I'm even more upset - because the house COULD be lost over this, and said money just disappears.
So Erich and I had a decent row over it. A "go to bed angry" sort of row.
Thankfully, he's pushed forward to get things going on this house. Met with a real estate agent, talked to the town tax board. Got all of his documents regarding the house from the worthless lawyer his aunt had hired up in Massachusetts so he could transfer them to our family lawyer here in RI.
Just a mess. BUT... the house is going on the market next week. Price lowered to be sold "as is." And hopefully there's a buyer out there looking for a project. *shrug* It's in a good town, and the lot itself is lovely (wooded 1/2 acre with wild grapes and such growing on it) in a nice neighborhood. It's just the *house* that needs serious work.
So we'll see.
The other thing this week is that one of our friends, Rob, who I went to college with (and was a roomate with just after college), is very ill and in the hospital. He went in with viral pneumonia last weekend. Took a downturn early this week, and the doctors were forced to intubate him. His heart is enlarged and working at 25% capacity. It's just a nasty situation. Since then, it's been one of those "he's showing some signs of improvement... but..." situations. His heart now is the big focus. They're not sure whether it's due to the pneumonia or due to a pre-existing condition (or a secondary infection), but it's being considered Congestive Heart Failure at the moment. He's going in for a CAT scan and a biopsy in the next couple days, but it's scary, scary stuff. And a lot of it just involves having to be patient, rest, and leave himself up to the doctors who are caring for him.
Mind you - he's 31.
Dealing with one of those "so... how exactly do I recover from this?" situations. The doctors can't say exactly what the long-term damage will be.
Erich and some of the guys went down to New Haven to visit him in the hospital today - they're on their way back at the moment. Hopefully some friends visiting will cheer him up again. He's not so far away that we can't pop down there for a few hours as needed. And thankfully Rob's brother is a nurse at the hospital where he's staying... so at least he has family with him, too.
But it's just so terrifying, these reminders of mortality.
It makes all sorts of stresses pale so much in comparison.
The me/Erich stuff is the final real battle in dealing with his mom's estate. As part of it, Erich inherited half of his grandparents' house in the town where he grew up in Massachusetts. Apparently his grandmother's name was the only one on the title, and she willed half to each of her daughters, and with Debbie passing, one half has passed to Erich. His aunt lives in the house, but does want to get out of it because it's too much for her to take care of, both size-wise and financially. And this house is NOT in good shape, nor has she even managed to maintain it.
So last week, Erich finds out that back taxes are owed. Next day, he finds out that it's two YEARS of back taxes owed. I can't fathom how his aunt lets TWO YEARS OF HOUSE TAXES slip. I really can't. Seriously... W.T.F?!?
Mind you - we've already dropped a decent amount of money to bail the aunt out here - a sizeable amount of our wedding gift money went towards this. Once I find out about the tax bills? I flip a gasket. Because now I see our tax refund immediately going to this thing - the tax refund that was going to be a sizeable amount of our financing toward the trip to England. And with the house now in that limbo between ownership and foreclosure because of this, I'm even more upset - because the house COULD be lost over this, and said money just disappears.
So Erich and I had a decent row over it. A "go to bed angry" sort of row.
Thankfully, he's pushed forward to get things going on this house. Met with a real estate agent, talked to the town tax board. Got all of his documents regarding the house from the worthless lawyer his aunt had hired up in Massachusetts so he could transfer them to our family lawyer here in RI.
Just a mess. BUT... the house is going on the market next week. Price lowered to be sold "as is." And hopefully there's a buyer out there looking for a project. *shrug* It's in a good town, and the lot itself is lovely (wooded 1/2 acre with wild grapes and such growing on it) in a nice neighborhood. It's just the *house* that needs serious work.
So we'll see.
The other thing this week is that one of our friends, Rob, who I went to college with (and was a roomate with just after college), is very ill and in the hospital. He went in with viral pneumonia last weekend. Took a downturn early this week, and the doctors were forced to intubate him. His heart is enlarged and working at 25% capacity. It's just a nasty situation. Since then, it's been one of those "he's showing some signs of improvement... but..." situations. His heart now is the big focus. They're not sure whether it's due to the pneumonia or due to a pre-existing condition (or a secondary infection), but it's being considered Congestive Heart Failure at the moment. He's going in for a CAT scan and a biopsy in the next couple days, but it's scary, scary stuff. And a lot of it just involves having to be patient, rest, and leave himself up to the doctors who are caring for him.
Mind you - he's 31.
Dealing with one of those "so... how exactly do I recover from this?" situations. The doctors can't say exactly what the long-term damage will be.
Erich and some of the guys went down to New Haven to visit him in the hospital today - they're on their way back at the moment. Hopefully some friends visiting will cheer him up again. He's not so far away that we can't pop down there for a few hours as needed. And thankfully Rob's brother is a nurse at the hospital where he's staying... so at least he has family with him, too.
But it's just so terrifying, these reminders of mortality.
It makes all sorts of stresses pale so much in comparison.
24 January 2008
Thursday Thirteen: January Insanity
I haven't posted here on measi(dot)net in a while - it honestly has been slipping my mind. I don't know. I think I just want to keep all of the fandom insanity separate from my blog over here, but it seems that my life is just wrapped in fandom these days... so, eh. I probably just should let it bleed over and give up, eh?
In any case, it's been insane since the beginning of the year, and here's my thirteen things that have been taking over my life since the New Year:
1) Birthday celebrations. I'm 33, had a fantastic birthday with friends over a Pats game and some delicious strawberry hookah smoking.
2) The Patriots. Sundays have been owned by football. Absolutely owned. And I'm loving it. The Superbowl party is in the works. :)
3) Being sick. I fell ill with a cold on New Year's Eve, and still have the annoying cough that goes with it, despite otherwise feeling fine. It's not a painful cough, mostly in the mornings and evenings, but the cold weather (and the hookah smoking on my birthday) didn't help.
4) Fanfic writing. I've been finishing up pieces that were due around the holidays. Got one done and posted last week. Now I'm working on the other one, which I hope to have completed this month. A small idea just snowballed and, with some help from another writer, looks to be a much better, satisfying piece.
5) Work. I've been absolutely insane with work lately. Lots of little projects, lots of paperwork to get through because insurance policies have just renewed as of the first of the year, and lots of really random little things like redesigning the company letterhead (eep!)
6) Torchwood & Doctor Who - Torchwood Series 2 just started airing in the UK last week, and it starts on BBCA this Saturday, along with Doctor Who series 3. Both shows are must-see, IMHO. The second series of Torchwood is already MUCH better than the first. Much slicker, stronger plots, and much more sure of itself. And Series 3 Who? Absolutely wonderful. The first six episodes are a mixed bag, but the last seven are much-watch. Particularly Human Nature, Family of Blood, and Blink which should be on in March. You must watch Blink if you haven't done so. It's a brilliant piece of television, regardless of science fiction leanings. It's up for a Nebula award, and undoubtedly will go up for a Hugo this year (the writer, Steven Moffat, has won for his Who outings the past two years).
7) Money issues. Erich and I have been... let's say, stressed. Partially holidays related, partially increase in heating bills related, and partially issues that come up with his mom's estate. I'm just really worried about financing our trip to England in October.
8) Emotional stuff. Erich's worn down by his mom's estate affairs. I'm worn down from being constantly on the run since, oh, last August. We're both in dire need of a break. Thankfully we're not snapping at each other, but both of us are just exhausted.
9) The weather. Unlike last year, where it was nearly 50 degrees for a good portion of January, it's been quite cold with lingering snow. I think it's contributing to some of the emotional exhaustion.
10) Attempting to get our lives back in order. Vet appointments are being caught up on, getting stuff cleaned around the house, finishing up the final few thank you notes from the wedding, etc. - we have a lot of little projects around the house that we desperately want to get done.
11) Cat issues. Along with the generic vet appointment, we've been dealing with some feline frustration. One of the cats was taking to peeing all over the house. We've added a couple additional cat boxes (one upstairs, one out in the sunroom), and that seems to have stopped most of it. We still have an idiot cat who is apparently going into a cat box and peeing, not realizing its ass is hanging out of the box when it goes, though. Haven't caught the culprit, but somehow I think it's one of our bigger three - Colley, Gus, or Hoodsie.
12) World of Warcraft. Attempting to have some me-time has resulted in a lot of hours playing WoW again, and doing all of the in-game related stuff I've wanted to do but couldn't commit the time to while also planning the wedding. Meaningless to real life, of course, but still a little sense of accomplishment all the same.
13) I really don't have a thirteen. Maybe commuting time? The MBTA continues to suck and get worse. This morning's sightseeing excursion on the commuter rail took us ringing around the city through Dorchester because apparently there was something wrong on the mainline track. Never mind the fact that when we got to the junction where both lines meet up by South Station, there were three trains that came through the main line. AND, our train was forced to wait through three trains coming through (10 minutes, standing still), despite us being the ones that were running 20 minutes late into the station. *sigh*
Will February calm down? I hope so!
In any case, it's been insane since the beginning of the year, and here's my thirteen things that have been taking over my life since the New Year:
1) Birthday celebrations. I'm 33, had a fantastic birthday with friends over a Pats game and some delicious strawberry hookah smoking.
2) The Patriots. Sundays have been owned by football. Absolutely owned. And I'm loving it. The Superbowl party is in the works. :)
3) Being sick. I fell ill with a cold on New Year's Eve, and still have the annoying cough that goes with it, despite otherwise feeling fine. It's not a painful cough, mostly in the mornings and evenings, but the cold weather (and the hookah smoking on my birthday) didn't help.
4) Fanfic writing. I've been finishing up pieces that were due around the holidays. Got one done and posted last week. Now I'm working on the other one, which I hope to have completed this month. A small idea just snowballed and, with some help from another writer, looks to be a much better, satisfying piece.
5) Work. I've been absolutely insane with work lately. Lots of little projects, lots of paperwork to get through because insurance policies have just renewed as of the first of the year, and lots of really random little things like redesigning the company letterhead (eep!)
6) Torchwood & Doctor Who - Torchwood Series 2 just started airing in the UK last week, and it starts on BBCA this Saturday, along with Doctor Who series 3. Both shows are must-see, IMHO. The second series of Torchwood is already MUCH better than the first. Much slicker, stronger plots, and much more sure of itself. And Series 3 Who? Absolutely wonderful. The first six episodes are a mixed bag, but the last seven are much-watch. Particularly Human Nature, Family of Blood, and Blink which should be on in March. You must watch Blink if you haven't done so. It's a brilliant piece of television, regardless of science fiction leanings. It's up for a Nebula award, and undoubtedly will go up for a Hugo this year (the writer, Steven Moffat, has won for his Who outings the past two years).
7) Money issues. Erich and I have been... let's say, stressed. Partially holidays related, partially increase in heating bills related, and partially issues that come up with his mom's estate. I'm just really worried about financing our trip to England in October.
8) Emotional stuff. Erich's worn down by his mom's estate affairs. I'm worn down from being constantly on the run since, oh, last August. We're both in dire need of a break. Thankfully we're not snapping at each other, but both of us are just exhausted.
9) The weather. Unlike last year, where it was nearly 50 degrees for a good portion of January, it's been quite cold with lingering snow. I think it's contributing to some of the emotional exhaustion.
10) Attempting to get our lives back in order. Vet appointments are being caught up on, getting stuff cleaned around the house, finishing up the final few thank you notes from the wedding, etc. - we have a lot of little projects around the house that we desperately want to get done.
11) Cat issues. Along with the generic vet appointment, we've been dealing with some feline frustration. One of the cats was taking to peeing all over the house. We've added a couple additional cat boxes (one upstairs, one out in the sunroom), and that seems to have stopped most of it. We still have an idiot cat who is apparently going into a cat box and peeing, not realizing its ass is hanging out of the box when it goes, though. Haven't caught the culprit, but somehow I think it's one of our bigger three - Colley, Gus, or Hoodsie.
12) World of Warcraft. Attempting to have some me-time has resulted in a lot of hours playing WoW again, and doing all of the in-game related stuff I've wanted to do but couldn't commit the time to while also planning the wedding. Meaningless to real life, of course, but still a little sense of accomplishment all the same.
13) I really don't have a thirteen. Maybe commuting time? The MBTA continues to suck and get worse. This morning's sightseeing excursion on the commuter rail took us ringing around the city through Dorchester because apparently there was something wrong on the mainline track. Never mind the fact that when we got to the junction where both lines meet up by South Station, there were three trains that came through the main line. AND, our train was forced to wait through three trains coming through (10 minutes, standing still), despite us being the ones that were running 20 minutes late into the station. *sigh*
Will February calm down? I hope so!
02 January 2008
Dear Puffs brand tissues -
Your idea to put Vicks Vapor Rub into your tissues was a weird idea, I grant you - I was concerned as I considered the box in CVS this afternoon.
But I decided that I was intrigued, and would do a temporary subscription to your newsletter, seeing that my nose is congested to all hell today and I'd give anything to be able to breathe.
Upon breathing in the instant nose-clearing scent of them tonight? You have won me over. Even though I believe they are strong enough to give me a Vapor Rub high. I can just sit here with a tissue under my nose, and I can breathe! Without taking brain-fogging meds!
Brilliant!
Puffs? I love you. I really, truly love you.
But I decided that I was intrigued, and would do a temporary subscription to your newsletter, seeing that my nose is congested to all hell today and I'd give anything to be able to breathe.
Upon breathing in the instant nose-clearing scent of them tonight? You have won me over. Even though I believe they are strong enough to give me a Vapor Rub high. I can just sit here with a tissue under my nose, and I can breathe! Without taking brain-fogging meds!
Brilliant!
Puffs? I love you. I really, truly love you.
01 January 2008
Safe and Happy New Year
I'm ill with a chest cold, which is why I'm quiet...
but Happy New Year all - may 2008 be a good one for all.
but Happy New Year all - may 2008 be a good one for all.
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