Rites of Spring...
At last the temp here is up above 60ยบ F, the sun is out, and they're laying my new septic line tomorrow morning. I couldn't be happier. Well, ok, maybe I could. ("Wake up, Cathy, it was all a dream, George Bush was defeated in 2004 and everything's Kerrific!") Sigh. Anyway, I'm pretty happy. Went to the butcher to buy some hamburger for the grill tonight, and while there was tempted by a can of Mountain Dew in the refrigerator case. Since I swore off soda a while ago, it's been some time since I indulged in that poison of choice.... but it's spring, and it's nice out, and I wanted to knock back a cold one. So I did; and, perhaps a positive sign, it wasn't quite as good as I expected. Maybe I'm outgrowing my taste for the stuff. Came home, went out in the yard to look at bulbs, and surprised a good-sized rabbit that was hiding in my groundcover. While I'm sorry I startled him, it was nice to see him (or her)--a change from the standard squirrel-based wildlife package that my yard comes equipped with. Once, when I first moved in, I saw a fox trotting calmly down my road. That was excellent; I haven't seen one since then, but i know they're around.
The Croc's website has been down for 2 days due to a server move, and it's kind of scary how much I'm jonesing to read the forums again. This could be because I get an ego kick off of the worshipful way in which fans respond to staff postings (mine included.) Or it could be that someone had just started a thread that I actually >wanted< to talk about, and then the site went down. Dang. It also means I couldn't really do any work today--or rather, I could have done work but it was boring work. So instead I did some work on my research project for Historical Interpretation class, and then came home to the aforementioned hamburger, Dew, and rabbit.
Double Your Fun
By the way, yes I know I now have duplicate comment links. The guys at enetation have not responded to my pleas to switch my old comment files over to the pro server (which I paid for about 6 months ago.) My solution is to have the link for both the old comments and the pro comments in my code; if one disappears maybe the other will stay put. Still no idea what causes this.
Friday, March 25, 2005
Vacation's Over.
As suspected, the Vegas euphoria didn't last long. When you have a company with only 3 people, and all 3 of them go to a trade show for 6 days....let's just say there's been plenty of fires to put out this week. That isn't such a bad thing, as it distracts me from the vague sense of nausea that creeps over me whenever I hear a mention of the Terri Schiavo case in the news. I'll refrain from going into depth.... but I know firsthand the pain of seeing someone you care about destroyed by a brain injury. Congress' arrogance in involving itself in this matter is nothing short of appalling. This is a matter for families and doctors to decide; the thought that this woman's parents are willing to not only force her to continue living in a permenant vegetative state, but are also willing to put her on the national stage to accomplish their own ends just makes me want to barf. OK, enough of that.
Yesterday was Purim eve, and I came home from class to find not one, but two invitations from different friends to come over for some hamentashen and recreational beverages. Purim is a great holiday—it's celebrated with a long story, noisemakers, costumes, gifts, charity, food, and fun with friends. It's a good time of year for it! Stupid class. But I'm promised leftover hamentashen, and Passover is coming soon. We all know what that means: time for Cathy to go to the Osco and buy the most expensive bottle of Mogen David kosher wine that money can buy. I'm budgeting about $3.
Problems in the comments lately, I know. I've emailed enetation, not sure what else to do since I've no idea what the problem is. Bear with me.
As suspected, the Vegas euphoria didn't last long. When you have a company with only 3 people, and all 3 of them go to a trade show for 6 days....let's just say there's been plenty of fires to put out this week. That isn't such a bad thing, as it distracts me from the vague sense of nausea that creeps over me whenever I hear a mention of the Terri Schiavo case in the news. I'll refrain from going into depth.... but I know firsthand the pain of seeing someone you care about destroyed by a brain injury. Congress' arrogance in involving itself in this matter is nothing short of appalling. This is a matter for families and doctors to decide; the thought that this woman's parents are willing to not only force her to continue living in a permenant vegetative state, but are also willing to put her on the national stage to accomplish their own ends just makes me want to barf. OK, enough of that.
Yesterday was Purim eve, and I came home from class to find not one, but two invitations from different friends to come over for some hamentashen and recreational beverages. Purim is a great holiday—it's celebrated with a long story, noisemakers, costumes, gifts, charity, food, and fun with friends. It's a good time of year for it! Stupid class. But I'm promised leftover hamentashen, and Passover is coming soon. We all know what that means: time for Cathy to go to the Osco and buy the most expensive bottle of Mogen David kosher wine that money can buy. I'm budgeting about $3.
Problems in the comments lately, I know. I've emailed enetation, not sure what else to do since I've no idea what the problem is. Bear with me.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Never Bet More Than You Can Afford To Lose....
Ugh. I'm back. The trade show was good, though definitely too long by at least 1 day. Think I may have picked us up a couple new accounts, including ones in France, Germany, Italy, and Canada. Also made friends with some New Zealanders who make a niceWWII wargame, and might get to do a little painting for them. Our staff painter made friends with the guys from Rackham/Confrontation, who make some of the most amazing figures in the business. She managed to scam me a free t-shirt! It's good to be a hot chick in a guy-dominated industry.
To sum up my trip, I'm going to borrow Jane's "report card" motif. No photos yet; I'll need to trim them down and upload them to flikr. I'll post something when I do.
VEGAS ITSELF: B+ . I had expected it to be loud, bright, and debaucherous, and it didn't disappoint. However, I'd not realized how huge the strip is. I spent nearly the entire weekend walking endless miles just to get from point a to point b. I took the monorail a lot, but you still have to walk about a half mile to get from any monorail through the hotel casino to reach Las Vegas Blvd. My feet and back were killing me at the end of every day. My main goal was to go into as many of the themed casinos as possible just to see what they were like; I managed to hit 20 of them, but I was near death by from exhaustion by Friday morning.
THE RIVIERA (our convention hotel): B . Kudos for retaining the look and feel of an older strip casino (it turns 50 this year!) but low marks for theme decor and general appearance.
THE SAHARA: A- . Still with a slightly seedy overtone of old casino, the Sahara has managed to turn its cheesiness into an asset. Its Faux Moroccan look has a certain charm, and they have less expensive table games with friendly dealers. Plus, I won $30 there on roulette.
CIRCUS CIRCUS: C . The whole place has a slightly grimy patina that's hard to ignore. While the Adventuredome was kind of cool, even it had a sort of "theme park on hard times" feel to it, with empty spaces and missing paint. It is, however, home to Slots-O-Fun and the amazing $1.50 shrimp cocktail. (Not amazing in a good way, either.)
HILTON/STAR TREK: B+ . I wish the casino had had a little more Star Trekiness to it, but it was very entertaining nonetheless. I didn't get to do the "experience" but did go to a party in Quark's Bar on Wednesday, tried a "Warp Core Breach" and some Romulan ale, then soon found myself wondering where my feet were.
TREASURE ISLAND: B- . The outside is incredibly cool. But inside--what a waste of piratey potential! There was very little in the way of arrrr past the doorways. I also missed the show outside where the ship fires its guns; disappointing.
MIRAGE: B . This probably would have gotten a higher mark if I'd been there during the daytime. I didn't get there til around 11 pm on Thursday, so the white tigers weren't out, and the foresty jungle thing in the main lobby was pretty dark. It looked like it could be fairly cool--but again, didn't see a lot of the theme permeating the casino.
CAESAR's PALACE: A . Now THIS is a theme casino. Too cool, we walked around it and the Forum Shops for hours and I'm sure didn't see all that there was. The Celine Dion Store is here, as is the Elton John Store, which led us to an interesting discussion of what might happen if a shipment of Elton's "The Bitch is Back" T-shirts got delivered to Celine's store by mistake.
BELLAGIO: A- . Classy! Not sure what the theme was beyond "classy" but it sure had that. It also has (I'm told) the best buffet in Vegas. I can attest it was pretty damn good, I've never seen anything quite like it! Piles of beautiful food everywhere, it was one of three great meals I had while in LV.
THE VENETIAN: A- . The Italian street scene thing was impressive; I only dinged them a little because I thought Paris and Aladdin were even more striking in this respect. Ate at the Wolfgang Puck place here and it was fabulous.
HARRAH'S: D . Loud, kinda grimy, and even more confusingly laid out than most casinos. I had to walk through it from the monorail twice, and both times it took me about 10 minutes to find the door. No other casino was that difficult to navigate. I wasn't even tempted to play here.
IMPERIAL PALACE: F . Boring. Its vague Chinese theme is unrealized anywhere in the decor. I was in it for less than 5 minutes before my friend and I looked at each other and said "eh" and left. Even the older casinos have more character than that. Maybe we missed something.
BARBARY COAST: B+ . Not much of a theme, but a nice casino ambiance. I played blackjack here. Lost $40, but had fun doing it.
PARIS: A . Owned by Caesar's, and they know how to do ambiance! I loved the faux outdoor French city park look in the actual casino.
ALADDIN: A . Same thing, the casino was cool Arabian Nights style and the mall surrounding it was just neat-looking. Thunderstorm in the middle of the mall? Too cool.
NEW YORK NEW YORK: B . I was there on St. Patrick's eve, and it was horribly crowded. But also, the fakeyness of the exterior/interior seemed a little too fake, more over the top than the previous two. However, they were the only casino I saw that featured a Chuck-a-Luck table.
MGM GRAND: A . I'm a movie buff, and MGM holds mystique for me, so I was just thrilled to be there. But it's also beautiful, stylish and tasteful, and has a lion habitat with two handsome cubs and 2-3 adult lions. What's not to like?
EXCALIBUR: B . What could be a really cool theme is undermined by the cheesiness of some of the decor. It runs the gamut between looking very realistic (in a fantasy kind of way) and looking like someone just threw it together. I liked it, but I'd expected to like it better than I did.
LUXOR: A+ . Like Caesar's, this hotel has the theme thing down perfectly. What gives it that extra plus is the design of the hotel--its pyramid shape is not only cool for the casual visitor to the casino and attractions, but the rooms all look out over the central core of the pyramid. That's just awesome. And they had Donkey Kong in the arcade! I got the high score! Overall, a gratifying visit.
God, I've thought of at least two places I left out, but I've bored you all enough. Suffice it to say I covered a lot of ground and I had a great time. Now it's back to the grind, lots to do before spring break ends in about 24 hours....
Ugh. I'm back. The trade show was good, though definitely too long by at least 1 day. Think I may have picked us up a couple new accounts, including ones in France, Germany, Italy, and Canada. Also made friends with some New Zealanders who make a niceWWII wargame, and might get to do a little painting for them. Our staff painter made friends with the guys from Rackham/Confrontation, who make some of the most amazing figures in the business. She managed to scam me a free t-shirt! It's good to be a hot chick in a guy-dominated industry.
To sum up my trip, I'm going to borrow Jane's "report card" motif. No photos yet; I'll need to trim them down and upload them to flikr. I'll post something when I do.
VEGAS ITSELF: B+ . I had expected it to be loud, bright, and debaucherous, and it didn't disappoint. However, I'd not realized how huge the strip is. I spent nearly the entire weekend walking endless miles just to get from point a to point b. I took the monorail a lot, but you still have to walk about a half mile to get from any monorail through the hotel casino to reach Las Vegas Blvd. My feet and back were killing me at the end of every day. My main goal was to go into as many of the themed casinos as possible just to see what they were like; I managed to hit 20 of them, but I was near death by from exhaustion by Friday morning.
THE RIVIERA (our convention hotel): B . Kudos for retaining the look and feel of an older strip casino (it turns 50 this year!) but low marks for theme decor and general appearance.
THE SAHARA: A- . Still with a slightly seedy overtone of old casino, the Sahara has managed to turn its cheesiness into an asset. Its Faux Moroccan look has a certain charm, and they have less expensive table games with friendly dealers. Plus, I won $30 there on roulette.
CIRCUS CIRCUS: C . The whole place has a slightly grimy patina that's hard to ignore. While the Adventuredome was kind of cool, even it had a sort of "theme park on hard times" feel to it, with empty spaces and missing paint. It is, however, home to Slots-O-Fun and the amazing $1.50 shrimp cocktail. (Not amazing in a good way, either.)
HILTON/STAR TREK: B+ . I wish the casino had had a little more Star Trekiness to it, but it was very entertaining nonetheless. I didn't get to do the "experience" but did go to a party in Quark's Bar on Wednesday, tried a "Warp Core Breach" and some Romulan ale, then soon found myself wondering where my feet were.
TREASURE ISLAND: B- . The outside is incredibly cool. But inside--what a waste of piratey potential! There was very little in the way of arrrr past the doorways. I also missed the show outside where the ship fires its guns; disappointing.
MIRAGE: B . This probably would have gotten a higher mark if I'd been there during the daytime. I didn't get there til around 11 pm on Thursday, so the white tigers weren't out, and the foresty jungle thing in the main lobby was pretty dark. It looked like it could be fairly cool--but again, didn't see a lot of the theme permeating the casino.
CAESAR's PALACE: A . Now THIS is a theme casino. Too cool, we walked around it and the Forum Shops for hours and I'm sure didn't see all that there was. The Celine Dion Store is here, as is the Elton John Store, which led us to an interesting discussion of what might happen if a shipment of Elton's "The Bitch is Back" T-shirts got delivered to Celine's store by mistake.
BELLAGIO: A- . Classy! Not sure what the theme was beyond "classy" but it sure had that. It also has (I'm told) the best buffet in Vegas. I can attest it was pretty damn good, I've never seen anything quite like it! Piles of beautiful food everywhere, it was one of three great meals I had while in LV.
THE VENETIAN: A- . The Italian street scene thing was impressive; I only dinged them a little because I thought Paris and Aladdin were even more striking in this respect. Ate at the Wolfgang Puck place here and it was fabulous.
HARRAH'S: D . Loud, kinda grimy, and even more confusingly laid out than most casinos. I had to walk through it from the monorail twice, and both times it took me about 10 minutes to find the door. No other casino was that difficult to navigate. I wasn't even tempted to play here.
IMPERIAL PALACE: F . Boring. Its vague Chinese theme is unrealized anywhere in the decor. I was in it for less than 5 minutes before my friend and I looked at each other and said "eh" and left. Even the older casinos have more character than that. Maybe we missed something.
BARBARY COAST: B+ . Not much of a theme, but a nice casino ambiance. I played blackjack here. Lost $40, but had fun doing it.
PARIS: A . Owned by Caesar's, and they know how to do ambiance! I loved the faux outdoor French city park look in the actual casino.
ALADDIN: A . Same thing, the casino was cool Arabian Nights style and the mall surrounding it was just neat-looking. Thunderstorm in the middle of the mall? Too cool.
NEW YORK NEW YORK: B . I was there on St. Patrick's eve, and it was horribly crowded. But also, the fakeyness of the exterior/interior seemed a little too fake, more over the top than the previous two. However, they were the only casino I saw that featured a Chuck-a-Luck table.
MGM GRAND: A . I'm a movie buff, and MGM holds mystique for me, so I was just thrilled to be there. But it's also beautiful, stylish and tasteful, and has a lion habitat with two handsome cubs and 2-3 adult lions. What's not to like?
EXCALIBUR: B . What could be a really cool theme is undermined by the cheesiness of some of the decor. It runs the gamut between looking very realistic (in a fantasy kind of way) and looking like someone just threw it together. I liked it, but I'd expected to like it better than I did.
LUXOR: A+ . Like Caesar's, this hotel has the theme thing down perfectly. What gives it that extra plus is the design of the hotel--its pyramid shape is not only cool for the casual visitor to the casino and attractions, but the rooms all look out over the central core of the pyramid. That's just awesome. And they had Donkey Kong in the arcade! I got the high score! Overall, a gratifying visit.
God, I've thought of at least two places I left out, but I've bored you all enough. Suffice it to say I covered a lot of ground and I had a great time. Now it's back to the grind, lots to do before spring break ends in about 24 hours....
Friday, March 11, 2005
Curse the Girl Scouts and Their Sugary Goodness!
It's cookie time again. Since I don't actually know any girl children between the ages of 2 and 20, I have been forced in recent years to depend on fate to deliver the cookie crack to my doorstep. Usually there are dealers on the campus of my school around the end of February, but as I hadn't seen any by last weekend I was starting to get a little panicky that I might have missed them. So I took it to the next level: I stalked.
Yes. I went to the Hoosier Girl Scout Council website and looked up the schedule for freelance cookie selling in the Indpls area; then I "casually" happened to go grocery shopping at O'Malia's. Sure enough, I was accosted at the door by three girls in brownie uniforms, sashes aglow with all the badges I never earned, offering me their wares. I played hard to get, made a show of needing to go buy some produce (I got some green beans, two overripe nectarines, and a nice mango) and then came back and dropped $15 on their table, grabbed 5 boxes and scurried off to my car to eat some before I even turned on the ignition.
The thin mints aren't the problem. I love 'em, but as addictive cookies go they're not all THAT bad; I eat a few in March and throw the rest in the freezer, to be broken out and eaten on my "I had a horrible day and I deserve something special" days. I usually run out in January, I'm pretty good about parcelling them out. But the Samoas are another matter. They're amazing... And they are heart-stoppingly bad for you. If you've never had one, they're a shortbread ring, topped with caramel and toasted coconut, bottomed and striped with dark chocolate. It's like a Twix bar on overload. I don't even like coconut, and I can't leave these things alone. One cookie is 75 calories, of which 35 come from fat. Compare this to the Thin Mint, which has about 35 calories per cookie, 15 from fat. Add in the fact that for your $3 per box, you get 15 Samoas, versus about 40 Thin Mints. Obesity, thy name is Scouting. It would be faster and cheaper if a Girl Scout just came to your door, rang the bell, and shot you instead of making you fill out the order form.
Don't get me wrong, though--I'm all for the scouts and their cookie pushing ways. I was a scout for about 8 years myself, I even stuck with it after my troop dissolved in 9th grade and I got merged with another troop. (Then I quit--the other troop was just boring. My mom had been the leader of Troop #1309, and we did all kinds of great stuff that other scouts didn't do. We didn't go camping much, but that's another story.) It's just that the arrival of Cookie Time coincided with the implementation of a diet and exercise plan, and I've gotten off to a wobbly start. I'm not "on a diet," mind you. I'm making some longterm changes in what I eat and how I eat it. It's not about counting carbs or calories (though I know that works for a lot of people! no offense implied) but more about eating natural foods, organic when possible; eating more fruit and vegetables; eating snacks throughout the day rather than huge meals with big spaces in between; and following an exercise program. Cookies, while not verbotten, are certainly not meant to be a daily accoutrement in the plan. It's all good, though, I finished one box of samoas and the other is in the freezer—and unlike Thin Mints, Samoas can't be eaten when frozen! I'd have to take time to defrost them to avoid breaking (another) tooth, and that cuts the whole impulse eating thing by 90%. I might even still have them come next January....
In an intriguing coincidence, another blogger has chosen the name cautionary tale for her trials and tribulations; her name is alex, and she apologized to me on her blog the moment she realized our names were so similar. I would probably never have even known, except that I noticed a canadian ISP had spent a bunch of time on this site and I thought, odd... I don't know any Canadians! So I went over to her site, and there's this apology. I figure, great minds think alike, so she must be cool. Anyway, if you happen to find her instead of me when you're googling "cautionary tale", say hi. I leave for Vegas on Sunday, so hopefully will return with tales of wild debauchery. Or, more likely, not.
It's cookie time again. Since I don't actually know any girl children between the ages of 2 and 20, I have been forced in recent years to depend on fate to deliver the cookie crack to my doorstep. Usually there are dealers on the campus of my school around the end of February, but as I hadn't seen any by last weekend I was starting to get a little panicky that I might have missed them. So I took it to the next level: I stalked.
Yes. I went to the Hoosier Girl Scout Council website and looked up the schedule for freelance cookie selling in the Indpls area; then I "casually" happened to go grocery shopping at O'Malia's. Sure enough, I was accosted at the door by three girls in brownie uniforms, sashes aglow with all the badges I never earned, offering me their wares. I played hard to get, made a show of needing to go buy some produce (I got some green beans, two overripe nectarines, and a nice mango) and then came back and dropped $15 on their table, grabbed 5 boxes and scurried off to my car to eat some before I even turned on the ignition.
The thin mints aren't the problem. I love 'em, but as addictive cookies go they're not all THAT bad; I eat a few in March and throw the rest in the freezer, to be broken out and eaten on my "I had a horrible day and I deserve something special" days. I usually run out in January, I'm pretty good about parcelling them out. But the Samoas are another matter. They're amazing... And they are heart-stoppingly bad for you. If you've never had one, they're a shortbread ring, topped with caramel and toasted coconut, bottomed and striped with dark chocolate. It's like a Twix bar on overload. I don't even like coconut, and I can't leave these things alone. One cookie is 75 calories, of which 35 come from fat. Compare this to the Thin Mint, which has about 35 calories per cookie, 15 from fat. Add in the fact that for your $3 per box, you get 15 Samoas, versus about 40 Thin Mints. Obesity, thy name is Scouting. It would be faster and cheaper if a Girl Scout just came to your door, rang the bell, and shot you instead of making you fill out the order form.
Don't get me wrong, though--I'm all for the scouts and their cookie pushing ways. I was a scout for about 8 years myself, I even stuck with it after my troop dissolved in 9th grade and I got merged with another troop. (Then I quit--the other troop was just boring. My mom had been the leader of Troop #1309, and we did all kinds of great stuff that other scouts didn't do. We didn't go camping much, but that's another story.) It's just that the arrival of Cookie Time coincided with the implementation of a diet and exercise plan, and I've gotten off to a wobbly start. I'm not "on a diet," mind you. I'm making some longterm changes in what I eat and how I eat it. It's not about counting carbs or calories (though I know that works for a lot of people! no offense implied) but more about eating natural foods, organic when possible; eating more fruit and vegetables; eating snacks throughout the day rather than huge meals with big spaces in between; and following an exercise program. Cookies, while not verbotten, are certainly not meant to be a daily accoutrement in the plan. It's all good, though, I finished one box of samoas and the other is in the freezer—and unlike Thin Mints, Samoas can't be eaten when frozen! I'd have to take time to defrost them to avoid breaking (another) tooth, and that cuts the whole impulse eating thing by 90%. I might even still have them come next January....
In an intriguing coincidence, another blogger has chosen the name cautionary tale for her trials and tribulations; her name is alex, and she apologized to me on her blog the moment she realized our names were so similar. I would probably never have even known, except that I noticed a canadian ISP had spent a bunch of time on this site and I thought, odd... I don't know any Canadians! So I went over to her site, and there's this apology. I figure, great minds think alike, so she must be cool. Anyway, if you happen to find her instead of me when you're googling "cautionary tale", say hi. I leave for Vegas on Sunday, so hopefully will return with tales of wild debauchery. Or, more likely, not.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
What's That Humming Sound? Oh, Wait, It's Me....
My brain's been in clickity-clickity-click mode for 2 weeks now, and it's only going to get worse right up til I actually leave for Vegas in another week. By this I mean that I have many diverse things to think about, most of them interesting, and all of them stressful. Job interviews, school projects, bipedal crocodiles.... And I can only think about one of them for a few minutes at a time before I click over to one of the others and obsess about that for a while. How do other people work full time and go to school? How do they stay sane?
The good news for the week is that Mr. Septic Professional came and evaluated my situation (see below) and tells me that he won't have to re-lay my entire line (hooray!) and that he can fix it without tearing up my rock garden and patio (double hooray!) and that it'll probably cost $1500, not $3000 (triple super hooray with fireworks and rainbows!) This clears the way for me to start seriously thinking about Phase II of Project Downstairs Destruction, the shock-and-awe phase. I need to have a plumber come in and tear out a bathtub and a really ugly sink; the sink gets replaced, the bathtub doesn't. So I've been going to the salvage store to look for a "new" sink. I'm strongly tempted by one that used to be in the LS Ayres department store bathroom--basically a white pedestal 2 tap sink, with a nice 1930's sorta look to it. But as I'm not a plumber, I'm not clear exactly on whether it'd fit where I want to put it. Also, they have a toilet from the West Baden Hotel in Palm Springs for like $50. Now, technically I don't need a new toilet, the old one just needs to be re-sealed. But a toilet from the West Baden? Dare I say, the toilet of the stars??? West Baden was a popular spa hotel in the 40's and 50's, and many movie stars and celebrities stayed there. Anyone could have used it. Marilyn Monroe could have warmed her cheeks on this very throne! It's so tempting. Of course, when I go back it'll be gone, or they won't have a tank that fits it, or something. But the thought is, well.....I can only say, magical.
My brain's been in clickity-clickity-click mode for 2 weeks now, and it's only going to get worse right up til I actually leave for Vegas in another week. By this I mean that I have many diverse things to think about, most of them interesting, and all of them stressful. Job interviews, school projects, bipedal crocodiles.... And I can only think about one of them for a few minutes at a time before I click over to one of the others and obsess about that for a while. How do other people work full time and go to school? How do they stay sane?
The good news for the week is that Mr. Septic Professional came and evaluated my situation (see below) and tells me that he won't have to re-lay my entire line (hooray!) and that he can fix it without tearing up my rock garden and patio (double hooray!) and that it'll probably cost $1500, not $3000 (triple super hooray with fireworks and rainbows!) This clears the way for me to start seriously thinking about Phase II of Project Downstairs Destruction, the shock-and-awe phase. I need to have a plumber come in and tear out a bathtub and a really ugly sink; the sink gets replaced, the bathtub doesn't. So I've been going to the salvage store to look for a "new" sink. I'm strongly tempted by one that used to be in the LS Ayres department store bathroom--basically a white pedestal 2 tap sink, with a nice 1930's sorta look to it. But as I'm not a plumber, I'm not clear exactly on whether it'd fit where I want to put it. Also, they have a toilet from the West Baden Hotel in Palm Springs for like $50. Now, technically I don't need a new toilet, the old one just needs to be re-sealed. But a toilet from the West Baden? Dare I say, the toilet of the stars??? West Baden was a popular spa hotel in the 40's and 50's, and many movie stars and celebrities stayed there. Anyone could have used it. Marilyn Monroe could have warmed her cheeks on this very throne! It's so tempting. Of course, when I go back it'll be gone, or they won't have a tank that fits it, or something. But the thought is, well.....I can only say, magical.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Reports of My Accidental Suicide Have Been Greatly Exaggerated...
No shark/car/metal object-related accidents in recent days. I did nearly cut two fingertips off yesterday while trying to slice some key limes--man, those little bastards are tough-skinned! (I'm embarking on an experiment with making fruit vodkas, inspired by Anne's dad. Started a jar of peach vodka last week, and key lime yesterday. Still deciding on batch #3.) Still, overall it's been a pretty safe couple of weeks, physically.
Mentally, as always, is a whole nother barrel of monkeys! You may recall Sewage-Con, from an eariler post. Well, just over a month has passed and it's already time for Sewage-Con II: Plumber's Revenge! Jane and Sarah, you may have thought mopping up sewage-tainted water at the first con was fun--but let me tell you, it was nothing compared to the solid waste extravaganza that was SewageCon II. Next time, I may sell tickets. And I can correct this whole problem with my plumbing for a low, low price of only about $3000. I'm so happy, I just might shoot someone!*
To make a few pennies to cover this and other expenses, I've been stalking people around Dinosphere, collecting data and generally making visitors uneasy. Things at my "real" job (real being a relative term here) have been heating up, sales are doubling in the wake of our new releases and we're gearing up for GAMA in Las Vegas in a few weeks. I'm trying not to be worried by the fact that my boss has not (as far as I know) put in a registration for me or made plane reservations for any of us. Hell, if I don't get a badge that's just more time at the blackjack tables, right?
* shooting threat for dramatic effect only, no actual violence stated or implied
No shark/car/metal object-related accidents in recent days. I did nearly cut two fingertips off yesterday while trying to slice some key limes--man, those little bastards are tough-skinned! (I'm embarking on an experiment with making fruit vodkas, inspired by Anne's dad. Started a jar of peach vodka last week, and key lime yesterday. Still deciding on batch #3.) Still, overall it's been a pretty safe couple of weeks, physically.
Mentally, as always, is a whole nother barrel of monkeys! You may recall Sewage-Con, from an eariler post. Well, just over a month has passed and it's already time for Sewage-Con II: Plumber's Revenge! Jane and Sarah, you may have thought mopping up sewage-tainted water at the first con was fun--but let me tell you, it was nothing compared to the solid waste extravaganza that was SewageCon II. Next time, I may sell tickets. And I can correct this whole problem with my plumbing for a low, low price of only about $3000. I'm so happy, I just might shoot someone!*
To make a few pennies to cover this and other expenses, I've been stalking people around Dinosphere, collecting data and generally making visitors uneasy. Things at my "real" job (real being a relative term here) have been heating up, sales are doubling in the wake of our new releases and we're gearing up for GAMA in Las Vegas in a few weeks. I'm trying not to be worried by the fact that my boss has not (as far as I know) put in a registration for me or made plane reservations for any of us. Hell, if I don't get a badge that's just more time at the blackjack tables, right?
* shooting threat for dramatic effect only, no actual violence stated or implied
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Blue Monday...and Tuesday, and Wednesday.
My frog died on Monday night. So I'm sad. He had a long life for an African Dwarf Clawed frog, but still, it's never fun to find a pet belly-up in his tank in the morning. Butterfly Woman happened to show up just as I was conducting the funeral (by the downspout on the corner of the house; being a frog, I figured he'd like to be someplace damp) and she was very kind and supportive. It's been a rough few weeks in the aquatics department, I've lost a couple of tetras out of my main tank, and at the zoo, the female nurse shark appears to be getting ready to check out. She's listless, she hasn't been eating, and today she was flipped over on her back. I thought she was dead, but turns out she just needed to be flipped back onto her stomach, which I did. Still.... she doesn't look so hot.
Tuesday, I ran over my wristwatch. Yes, with the car. No, I don't know how my watch ended up in the driveway. I'd taken it off to cook dinner monday night; I must have slid it into my pocket and it slid back out inopportunely on the way to go bowling. It still works, but a couple links in the band were pretty smashed. After the jeweler up the street told me he couldn't fix it and would have to send it out, I came home and made it 99% perfect with a pair of pliers and some brute force.
Wednesday, I was getting dressed in the morning, and gave my pants a good hard shake to untwist one of the legs that was inside out. A small metal object (yeah, ok, a gaming minature) that had been in the pocket of the pants and apparently worked its way out *somehow* and down the pant leg, came flying out of the pants when I snapped 'em, and hit me in the face like a friggin' guided missile. Missed my eye by about 2", and instead hit me in the forehead so hard I was momentarily stunned with pain. In fury, I flung the miniature across the room, then remembered it was a gift for someone and I probably had just dented it even more than it already was from hitting my skull at 30mph. I've got a small cut, and an interestingly shaped bruise to show for my trouble. So really, today was a great improvement and tomorrow is bound to be excellent comparatively! After all, the frog was old, my watch is fixed, and I didn't lose an eye. Stay tuned for next week, when I run over myself with the car and drop my watch into the aquarium.
My frog died on Monday night. So I'm sad. He had a long life for an African Dwarf Clawed frog, but still, it's never fun to find a pet belly-up in his tank in the morning. Butterfly Woman happened to show up just as I was conducting the funeral (by the downspout on the corner of the house; being a frog, I figured he'd like to be someplace damp) and she was very kind and supportive. It's been a rough few weeks in the aquatics department, I've lost a couple of tetras out of my main tank, and at the zoo, the female nurse shark appears to be getting ready to check out. She's listless, she hasn't been eating, and today she was flipped over on her back. I thought she was dead, but turns out she just needed to be flipped back onto her stomach, which I did. Still.... she doesn't look so hot.
Tuesday, I ran over my wristwatch. Yes, with the car. No, I don't know how my watch ended up in the driveway. I'd taken it off to cook dinner monday night; I must have slid it into my pocket and it slid back out inopportunely on the way to go bowling. It still works, but a couple links in the band were pretty smashed. After the jeweler up the street told me he couldn't fix it and would have to send it out, I came home and made it 99% perfect with a pair of pliers and some brute force.
Wednesday, I was getting dressed in the morning, and gave my pants a good hard shake to untwist one of the legs that was inside out. A small metal object (yeah, ok, a gaming minature) that had been in the pocket of the pants and apparently worked its way out *somehow* and down the pant leg, came flying out of the pants when I snapped 'em, and hit me in the face like a friggin' guided missile. Missed my eye by about 2", and instead hit me in the forehead so hard I was momentarily stunned with pain. In fury, I flung the miniature across the room, then remembered it was a gift for someone and I probably had just dented it even more than it already was from hitting my skull at 30mph. I've got a small cut, and an interestingly shaped bruise to show for my trouble. So really, today was a great improvement and tomorrow is bound to be excellent comparatively! After all, the frog was old, my watch is fixed, and I didn't lose an eye. Stay tuned for next week, when I run over myself with the car and drop my watch into the aquarium.
Friday, January 28, 2005
Another Childhood Memory Destroyed...
So I'm sittin' here, watching this new "Battlestar Galactaca" thing on Sci-Fi. Maybe it's just me, but all the fancy camera work and special effects seem to be cloaking a show striking in its awfulness. Now, I know that the original BSG was also strikingly awful. I think even as a child I knew it was bad, in the same way I knew Space: 1999 was bad... But I loved it all the same. The main memories I can call up about these two shows are 1) Daggit, the robot dog; 2) Dirk Benedict as Starbuck, and 3) The shapeshifting chick with the little balls for eyebrows. The new BSG has none of these. What it does have is a woman with excessively large lips playing New Starbuck. In the episode I'm watching right now, she is having so many timeslip flashbacks that I have totally lost track of what the hell is going on in the main timeline of the plot. Babylon 5, this ain't.
So in a tribute to my lost childhood, I offer this meme: YOUR SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL
What year was it? 1987/88.
What were your three favorite bands/music artists? Styx. The Grateful Dead. Jimmy Buffet. How's that for eclectic?
What was your favorite outfit? Capone's. Oh, no, wait. Levi denim jacket and jeans, oxford shirt.
What was up with your hair? Pretty much what's up with it now, only a tad longer.
Who were your best friends? In school, probably Tiffany and Jaymi. Outside school, no doubt the unsinkable Mara.
What did you do after school? Theatre. Star Trek re-runs. And miniatures painting.
Did you take the bus? A'course not, I went to a snotty private school that didn't even have a bus! I drove a '79 Ford Grenada, silver with dark red interior.
Who did you have a crush on? Nobody. I didn't go in much for crushes.
Did you fight with your parents? Almost never. (OK, the new BSG got even worse in the last 10 minutes of the episode. Big Lips ship is on fire, and she's punching out into SPACE. It's times like this I wish my remote worked.)
Who did you have a celebrity crush on? Aw....ok, Julie Andrews.
Did you smoke cigarettes? Good god, no.
Did you lug all of your books around in your backpack all day because you were too nervous to find your locker? Huh? Again, small private school--my locker was hard to lose. I do, however, still have fairly intense anxiety dreams about forgetting my locker combination. I have no idea what triggers this.
Did you have a clique? I had a gang. Is that like a clique?
Did you have "The Max" like Zach, Kelly and Slater? Like Jane, I had no idea what the hell this meant. Apparently, it's a "Saved by the Bell" reference. Anyway, all of Broad Ripple was probably our hangout.
Admit it, were you popular? Not popular, not unpopular. I was well-liked, but still not invited to the party where the police showed up and arrested half the senior class.
Who did you want to be just like? Dang, I dunno. Julie Andrews?
What did you want to be when you grew up/what did you think you'd be doing at the age you are now?A scenic designer. I was all about the theatre right up through college. Of course, if I'd gone the television designer route, I might have been able to prevent BSG 2005 from being foisted onto an unsuspecting public....
So I'm sittin' here, watching this new "Battlestar Galactaca" thing on Sci-Fi. Maybe it's just me, but all the fancy camera work and special effects seem to be cloaking a show striking in its awfulness. Now, I know that the original BSG was also strikingly awful. I think even as a child I knew it was bad, in the same way I knew Space: 1999 was bad... But I loved it all the same. The main memories I can call up about these two shows are 1) Daggit, the robot dog; 2) Dirk Benedict as Starbuck, and 3) The shapeshifting chick with the little balls for eyebrows. The new BSG has none of these. What it does have is a woman with excessively large lips playing New Starbuck. In the episode I'm watching right now, she is having so many timeslip flashbacks that I have totally lost track of what the hell is going on in the main timeline of the plot. Babylon 5, this ain't.
So in a tribute to my lost childhood, I offer this meme: YOUR SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL
What year was it? 1987/88.
What were your three favorite bands/music artists? Styx. The Grateful Dead. Jimmy Buffet. How's that for eclectic?
What was your favorite outfit? Capone's. Oh, no, wait. Levi denim jacket and jeans, oxford shirt.
What was up with your hair? Pretty much what's up with it now, only a tad longer.
Who were your best friends? In school, probably Tiffany and Jaymi. Outside school, no doubt the unsinkable Mara.
What did you do after school? Theatre. Star Trek re-runs. And miniatures painting.
Did you take the bus? A'course not, I went to a snotty private school that didn't even have a bus! I drove a '79 Ford Grenada, silver with dark red interior.
Who did you have a crush on? Nobody. I didn't go in much for crushes.
Did you fight with your parents? Almost never. (OK, the new BSG got even worse in the last 10 minutes of the episode. Big Lips ship is on fire, and she's punching out into SPACE. It's times like this I wish my remote worked.)
Who did you have a celebrity crush on? Aw....ok, Julie Andrews.
Did you smoke cigarettes? Good god, no.
Did you lug all of your books around in your backpack all day because you were too nervous to find your locker? Huh? Again, small private school--my locker was hard to lose. I do, however, still have fairly intense anxiety dreams about forgetting my locker combination. I have no idea what triggers this.
Did you have a clique? I had a gang. Is that like a clique?
Did you have "The Max" like Zach, Kelly and Slater? Like Jane, I had no idea what the hell this meant. Apparently, it's a "Saved by the Bell" reference. Anyway, all of Broad Ripple was probably our hangout.
Admit it, were you popular? Not popular, not unpopular. I was well-liked, but still not invited to the party where the police showed up and arrested half the senior class.
Who did you want to be just like? Dang, I dunno. Julie Andrews?
What did you want to be when you grew up/what did you think you'd be doing at the age you are now?A scenic designer. I was all about the theatre right up through college. Of course, if I'd gone the television designer route, I might have been able to prevent BSG 2005 from being foisted onto an unsuspecting public....
Saturday, January 22, 2005
At Last, a Theory I Can Support....
Adam Felber, the man who brought us gay penguin marriage, has come up with The Ladies' Undergarment Theory of Presidential Classification. (Actually, that's not what he called it, but I think my title is catchier and more likely to get a grant proposal.) The one gap in the theory is Reagan--if Reagan had been a brassiere, what kind would he have been? Suggestions are welcome.
And in another thoughtful analysis, this week Fafnir takes a ride on the Ferris Wheel of Freedom! "You bought your ticket, so you know you liked it."
As always, when classes start and I am forced to read texts about American political history, I am comforted by the reminder that nothing is ever new. When I start to think about the damage the current administration is doing to us and future generations, I can look back at the last century and see how much governmental bigotry, prejudice, and unconstitutional legislation we eventually overcame. While I'd far rather we hadn't inaugurated a president who has garnered almost universal dislike amongst the nations of the world (as well as about half the US population,) whose grasp of constitutional principles is feeble, and who thinks that God himself is talking to him and telling him to shove "freedom" down the throats of our enemies at all costs, well..... In the grand scheme of things, it's only one presidency.
Adam Felber, the man who brought us gay penguin marriage, has come up with The Ladies' Undergarment Theory of Presidential Classification. (Actually, that's not what he called it, but I think my title is catchier and more likely to get a grant proposal.) The one gap in the theory is Reagan--if Reagan had been a brassiere, what kind would he have been? Suggestions are welcome.
And in another thoughtful analysis, this week Fafnir takes a ride on the Ferris Wheel of Freedom! "You bought your ticket, so you know you liked it."
As always, when classes start and I am forced to read texts about American political history, I am comforted by the reminder that nothing is ever new. When I start to think about the damage the current administration is doing to us and future generations, I can look back at the last century and see how much governmental bigotry, prejudice, and unconstitutional legislation we eventually overcame. While I'd far rather we hadn't inaugurated a president who has garnered almost universal dislike amongst the nations of the world (as well as about half the US population,) whose grasp of constitutional principles is feeble, and who thinks that God himself is talking to him and telling him to shove "freedom" down the throats of our enemies at all costs, well..... In the grand scheme of things, it's only one presidency.
Monday, January 17, 2005
The Wide World of Sewage!
Jane has already described, far better than I can, the focal events of JANECON '05. Suffice it to say that high water in the river = high water in other places, such as my septic tank. This didn't occur to me at first, which is why Rat Girl--seen at right, exposing her true form--and I undertook to snake the downstairs plumbing on Saturday morning (assuming a dastardly cloggage.) We were makin' with the snakin', with no positive results; a phone call to the plumber resulted in my taking the cover off the septic and revealing that the groundwater level was about 1" below the bottom of my outflow pipe. Any sudden volume of water causes the whole system to back up via the base of the downstairs toilet. Saturday night saw my intrepid houseguests mopping an inch of sewage-tainted water off my downstairs floor. Massive props to Jane, Sarah, and Rat Girl for their uncomplaining fortitude. Without them, JaneCon 2005 would have been TotalCrapCon I.
So two weekends in a row have been hella exciting! JaneCon was a marvelous success, I ran 2 days of Cthulhu for an enthusiastic crowd, madness and mayhem resulting. The weekend before last, I went to Chicago to visit Alex, with Rat Girl and Kitchen Wench in tow. KW had a burning need to visit a chocolatier called Vosges, which has to be seen to be believed. Truffles with wasabi and ginger, anyone? Or balsamic vinegar and cheese? Unreal. KW, being no slouch as a candymaker herself, felt a professional need to acquire numerous samples of Vosges' wares. If you want to see a photo of someone truly happy, go look at this picture. Then we went to the Hello Kitty store, source of the terrifying photo above, and to the Lego store, which was so cool I completely forgot to take any pictures at all. I'm kicking myself, it was totally awesome. Just as KW indulged her passion by buying truffles, RG and I indulged ours by purchasing about 6 different sets of "Orient Adventure" Legos, which will be combined with the sets we already have into one grand Indiana Jones and the Temple of Brightly Colored Plastic Doom panorama! Ooooh. With that to look forward to, septic problems seem a minor inconvenience along the way.
Jane has already described, far better than I can, the focal events of JANECON '05. Suffice it to say that high water in the river = high water in other places, such as my septic tank. This didn't occur to me at first, which is why Rat Girl--seen at right, exposing her true form--and I undertook to snake the downstairs plumbing on Saturday morning (assuming a dastardly cloggage.) We were makin' with the snakin', with no positive results; a phone call to the plumber resulted in my taking the cover off the septic and revealing that the groundwater level was about 1" below the bottom of my outflow pipe. Any sudden volume of water causes the whole system to back up via the base of the downstairs toilet. Saturday night saw my intrepid houseguests mopping an inch of sewage-tainted water off my downstairs floor. Massive props to Jane, Sarah, and Rat Girl for their uncomplaining fortitude. Without them, JaneCon 2005 would have been TotalCrapCon I.
So two weekends in a row have been hella exciting! JaneCon was a marvelous success, I ran 2 days of Cthulhu for an enthusiastic crowd, madness and mayhem resulting. The weekend before last, I went to Chicago to visit Alex, with Rat Girl and Kitchen Wench in tow. KW had a burning need to visit a chocolatier called Vosges, which has to be seen to be believed. Truffles with wasabi and ginger, anyone? Or balsamic vinegar and cheese? Unreal. KW, being no slouch as a candymaker herself, felt a professional need to acquire numerous samples of Vosges' wares. If you want to see a photo of someone truly happy, go look at this picture. Then we went to the Hello Kitty store, source of the terrifying photo above, and to the Lego store, which was so cool I completely forgot to take any pictures at all. I'm kicking myself, it was totally awesome. Just as KW indulged her passion by buying truffles, RG and I indulged ours by purchasing about 6 different sets of "Orient Adventure" Legos, which will be combined with the sets we already have into one grand Indiana Jones and the Temple of Brightly Colored Plastic Doom panorama! Ooooh. With that to look forward to, septic problems seem a minor inconvenience along the way.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Just Desserts?
There have been times, in the past, when I've gently teased my friends in California about the dangers of living there. Earthquakes.... wildfires... J-Lo and Ben... California is like disaster central. All we get here are the occasional monster snowstorms, which I find kind of exhilerating, and tornadoes, which are pretty location-specific--you can be right next to one and if it doesn't hit your house, you're fine. We don't really go in for area-effect disasters, usually. But last week and this week have been my comeuppance! They finally issued a voluntary evacuation order for my town last night. Naturally, I didn't go, but was kind of on pins and needles as to whether I'd wake up to Lake Neighborhood this morning. I moved my important papers to the second floor. I called my dad to make sure he'd take in the cats if I had to go. I called Rat Girl, just to jitter at her. I was...well....edgy. ( Of course, the pot of coffee I had around 6 pm might have influenced this as well.)
Today the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the weather is freezing, and the river is apparently at crest right now. As you can see in the photo, it's a bit higher than last week.... Like about 3 feet higher. That's the top of the levee, where the gravel path is. If the water were to rise another 18", it would begin pouring into town like milk into a bowl of Cap'n Crunch--but it's not gonna. I'm pretty confident of this, and the Flood Watch website agrees with me. Our town is safe! Probably! This is not, however, true for the poor bastards who live upriver of us at Ravenswood, who have been at critical flood levels for 2 days. That's part of why we're OK, ironically enough--the more water gushes through the homes and basements of Ravenswood, the less comes around our bend of the river. Frog Hollow, south of us, is under about 3' of water at last count. One hopes the frogs, at least, are happy. If you want to see more flood pictures, check the Flickr account, I've got one that's almost at the same angle as the one I posted last week.... Anyway, holding up, and I promise my next post will be about more fun things. Maybe.
There have been times, in the past, when I've gently teased my friends in California about the dangers of living there. Earthquakes.... wildfires... J-Lo and Ben... California is like disaster central. All we get here are the occasional monster snowstorms, which I find kind of exhilerating, and tornadoes, which are pretty location-specific--you can be right next to one and if it doesn't hit your house, you're fine. We don't really go in for area-effect disasters, usually. But last week and this week have been my comeuppance! They finally issued a voluntary evacuation order for my town last night. Naturally, I didn't go, but was kind of on pins and needles as to whether I'd wake up to Lake Neighborhood this morning. I moved my important papers to the second floor. I called my dad to make sure he'd take in the cats if I had to go. I called Rat Girl, just to jitter at her. I was...well....edgy. ( Of course, the pot of coffee I had around 6 pm might have influenced this as well.)
Today the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the weather is freezing, and the river is apparently at crest right now. As you can see in the photo, it's a bit higher than last week.... Like about 3 feet higher. That's the top of the levee, where the gravel path is. If the water were to rise another 18", it would begin pouring into town like milk into a bowl of Cap'n Crunch--but it's not gonna. I'm pretty confident of this, and the Flood Watch website agrees with me. Our town is safe! Probably! This is not, however, true for the poor bastards who live upriver of us at Ravenswood, who have been at critical flood levels for 2 days. That's part of why we're OK, ironically enough--the more water gushes through the homes and basements of Ravenswood, the less comes around our bend of the river. Frog Hollow, south of us, is under about 3' of water at last count. One hopes the frogs, at least, are happy. If you want to see more flood pictures, check the Flickr account, I've got one that's almost at the same angle as the one I posted last week.... Anyway, holding up, and I promise my next post will be about more fun things. Maybe.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down....
That's a song from the old Disney Winnie the Pooh movie:
The rain rain rain came down down down
In rushing, rising rivulets,
'Til the river crept out of its bed
And crept right into Piglet's.
Like Piglet, I feared this week that I too might need to place a desperate message requesting rescue into a bottle and post it to Pooh Bear. We got about 6" of rain in three days this week; all the melting snow from the Xmas storm has the ground already completely saturated, and so the river near my house went from 9' to 11' to 13.5' by Friday morning.... The levee is around 16' at its lowest; 15' is the voluntary evacuation level for my town. So at a mere 18" from possible doom, there was much talk of emergency plans, moving furniture, and so on. A bit tense--while my actual house is in little danger, a flood would destroy most of my neighbors. The canoe was ready to deploy. But fortunately, the river seems to have crested at 13.5'. It could, like Jesus, rise again in a few days, as we just got more snow that will melt off tomorrow. But I'd like to think we're out of the woods for now! I was confident enough in the lack of floodage to swing a trip to Chicago this weekend, on which more will be posted later. Returned to find house and street still dry... so all is well.
That's a song from the old Disney Winnie the Pooh movie:
The rain rain rain came down down down
In rushing, rising rivulets,
'Til the river crept out of its bed
And crept right into Piglet's.
Like Piglet, I feared this week that I too might need to place a desperate message requesting rescue into a bottle and post it to Pooh Bear. We got about 6" of rain in three days this week; all the melting snow from the Xmas storm has the ground already completely saturated, and so the river near my house went from 9' to 11' to 13.5' by Friday morning.... The levee is around 16' at its lowest; 15' is the voluntary evacuation level for my town. So at a mere 18" from possible doom, there was much talk of emergency plans, moving furniture, and so on. A bit tense--while my actual house is in little danger, a flood would destroy most of my neighbors. The canoe was ready to deploy. But fortunately, the river seems to have crested at 13.5'. It could, like Jesus, rise again in a few days, as we just got more snow that will melt off tomorrow. But I'd like to think we're out of the woods for now! I was confident enough in the lack of floodage to swing a trip to Chicago this weekend, on which more will be posted later. Returned to find house and street still dry... so all is well.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
"Happy," You Say?
Sometimes I’m a little on the moody side. My tendency towards moodiness is always exacerbated on New Year’s; a general sense of wistfulness about the past escalates into a full-blown rush of “My god, another year gone, what have I done with it? ” Sort of a Pink Floyd, Shorter of breath, One day closer to death kind of thing. It’s always like that, ever since I was a kid. I always go to parties on New Year’s if possible, because being in a warm friendly social situation reduces the mood considerably. Such it was this year, I went to a fantastic party thrown by my pals Evan and Anne, and had a great time right up to midnight. It was splendid. Anne’s dad makes fruit vodkas that are to die for. I lost three games of cribbage, and tried all manner of alcoholic goodness (in small amounts, as I was the DD for four people.) The trigger for my slew of unhappiness is usually the Times Square Ball Drop--you could call it a sort of Dick Clark’s Rocking New Year’s Depression. (And Dick wasn’t even there this year thanks to a stroke. See?? More depressing than ever!) As the ball drops, so does my mood. This year was true to form, despite plenty of libation and Evan’s famous chili dip, I sank into grouchiness at 12:00:01. Not to say I didn’t still have fun forcing Rat Girl to perform the “straight line walk” and “touch your nose” drunkenness tests before driving home (she didn’t actually need to do it, since I was driving, but it was fun watching her) and seeing the little kids at the party throw streamers at each other. But an inchoate sadness was creepin’ up on me, and by the time we got home I was monosyllabic and irritable. I bounced back a little in the morning as we drove J and C to the airport, but lost it again during what was otherwise a pleasant walk in the woods--mood + asthma = worse mood. I hate feeling limited by my asthma, and these days I'm usually not.... but something on this walk set it off. Not an emergency, but I felt tired and unhappy and pathetic when it set in. Back to that Pink Floyd thing! Usually walking makes me feel better when I'm crabby, but not yesterday. Anyway, the long and the short of it is that when I got home I finally indulged in about 15 minutes of pure feeling sorry for myself. Then I took a hot shower and went over to Jason's to spread the love. Talk, video games, cinnamon scones (courtesy of Brigetta and 5-year-old Max) and a comfy chair do wonders. Went home, had a nap and some dinner, went back and played Bootleggers with J and B and the college boys from 9 til midnight, and New Year's was finally over. I'm pretty much back to normal today.
So does anyone else get down on New Year's, or is it just me? And if you do, what do you do?
Sometimes I’m a little on the moody side. My tendency towards moodiness is always exacerbated on New Year’s; a general sense of wistfulness about the past escalates into a full-blown rush of “My god, another year gone, what have I done with it? ” Sort of a Pink Floyd, Shorter of breath, One day closer to death kind of thing. It’s always like that, ever since I was a kid. I always go to parties on New Year’s if possible, because being in a warm friendly social situation reduces the mood considerably. Such it was this year, I went to a fantastic party thrown by my pals Evan and Anne, and had a great time right up to midnight. It was splendid. Anne’s dad makes fruit vodkas that are to die for. I lost three games of cribbage, and tried all manner of alcoholic goodness (in small amounts, as I was the DD for four people.) The trigger for my slew of unhappiness is usually the Times Square Ball Drop--you could call it a sort of Dick Clark’s Rocking New Year’s Depression. (And Dick wasn’t even there this year thanks to a stroke. See?? More depressing than ever!) As the ball drops, so does my mood. This year was true to form, despite plenty of libation and Evan’s famous chili dip, I sank into grouchiness at 12:00:01. Not to say I didn’t still have fun forcing Rat Girl to perform the “straight line walk” and “touch your nose” drunkenness tests before driving home (she didn’t actually need to do it, since I was driving, but it was fun watching her) and seeing the little kids at the party throw streamers at each other. But an inchoate sadness was creepin’ up on me, and by the time we got home I was monosyllabic and irritable. I bounced back a little in the morning as we drove J and C to the airport, but lost it again during what was otherwise a pleasant walk in the woods--mood + asthma = worse mood. I hate feeling limited by my asthma, and these days I'm usually not.... but something on this walk set it off. Not an emergency, but I felt tired and unhappy and pathetic when it set in. Back to that Pink Floyd thing! Usually walking makes me feel better when I'm crabby, but not yesterday. Anyway, the long and the short of it is that when I got home I finally indulged in about 15 minutes of pure feeling sorry for myself. Then I took a hot shower and went over to Jason's to spread the love. Talk, video games, cinnamon scones (courtesy of Brigetta and 5-year-old Max) and a comfy chair do wonders. Went home, had a nap and some dinner, went back and played Bootleggers with J and B and the college boys from 9 til midnight, and New Year's was finally over. I'm pretty much back to normal today.
So does anyone else get down on New Year's, or is it just me? And if you do, what do you do?
Thursday, December 30, 2004
duck soup
Cold Duck
This is what happens when the canal freezes. A team of ducks with tiny ice axes bravely waddles out onto the ice and painstakingly chips out a hole so that all their duck brethren may swim in comfort. Well, as much comfort as they can get when it's about 4 degrees out.
I'm glad to say that Julia has assuaged my tree guilt by pointing out that artificial trees are not necessarily any more environmenally friendly than the brutally cut down in their prime ones. Of course, if I'd just decorated the hibiscus bush my aunt gave me that would have been the best of all worlds... but it's small. And it seems to have aphids. Neither of those things inspire me to decoration. Anyway, I presented nearly all my friends with diseases for Christmas; hey, that's the reason for the season, right? Nothing says "I care" like ebola virus. Happy New Year, y'all.
This is what happens when the canal freezes. A team of ducks with tiny ice axes bravely waddles out onto the ice and painstakingly chips out a hole so that all their duck brethren may swim in comfort. Well, as much comfort as they can get when it's about 4 degrees out.
I'm glad to say that Julia has assuaged my tree guilt by pointing out that artificial trees are not necessarily any more environmenally friendly than the brutally cut down in their prime ones. Of course, if I'd just decorated the hibiscus bush my aunt gave me that would have been the best of all worlds... but it's small. And it seems to have aphids. Neither of those things inspire me to decoration. Anyway, I presented nearly all my friends with diseases for Christmas; hey, that's the reason for the season, right? Nothing says "I care" like ebola virus. Happy New Year, y'all.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Tree 2004
O Xmas Tree
O Xmas Tree
You Make Me Feel
So Guil-ty...
I bought my tree on December 15 this year, which is really the ideal time for tree-buying. I argued with some friends last night about the perfect tree-erection scehdule (hmm, that doesn't sound right....) and the simple fact is that I'm right, and they're nuts. Setting up an Xmas tree on the day after Thanksgiving is loopy--if the tree's up for a month and a half, where's the excitement in that? And by the time Xmas arrives, the tree is so dry and brittle, no matter how much water you've applied to its oozing stump, that it now constitutes a major fire hazard in the living room. Ideally it should be bought between Dec. 10-15, and taken down on Twelfth Night. Anybody tells you anything different, you send them to me and I'll set them straight.
Now, I know some of you are saying, "But....aren't you Jewish, or something? Why do you have a tree at all, you poser?" The thing is, I'm the reverse of what Jeremy describes in his post on Christmas. I grew up in a secular protestant household, and while I made philosophical choices about my own religious beliefs which led me toward Judaism during my adolescence and adulthood, I find the rituals surrounding Xmas to be key for my enjoyment of the holiday season. I'm not talking dumb rituals like overextending my credit cards and indulging in rampant commercialism; these are the family rituals, such as baking the same cookies I enjoyed helping make as a child, hanging the stocking I've had since I was a baby, and buying and decorating a tree. The last has special meaning for me, for as a hard core environmentalist I've struggled with the idea of killing a live tree each year for my holiday enjoyment. I've thought of getting an artificial one, like so many of my friends, but the idea is kind of repellant to me. I like the smell, and I like the feel of the branches when I'm decorating it.... So I think of it in religious terms, this being a religious holiday. While I personally have a hard time accepting the idea that Christ died for my sins, I'm damn sure that this tree did. I appreciate that. It came from a tree farm, they cut them down at a certain size no matter what.... but if I bring it into my home for a month, decorate it, smell it, and appreciate it, then its sacrifice was not in vain!
How's that for spin?
O Xmas Tree
You Make Me Feel
So Guil-ty...
I bought my tree on December 15 this year, which is really the ideal time for tree-buying. I argued with some friends last night about the perfect tree-erection scehdule (hmm, that doesn't sound right....) and the simple fact is that I'm right, and they're nuts. Setting up an Xmas tree on the day after Thanksgiving is loopy--if the tree's up for a month and a half, where's the excitement in that? And by the time Xmas arrives, the tree is so dry and brittle, no matter how much water you've applied to its oozing stump, that it now constitutes a major fire hazard in the living room. Ideally it should be bought between Dec. 10-15, and taken down on Twelfth Night. Anybody tells you anything different, you send them to me and I'll set them straight.
Now, I know some of you are saying, "But....aren't you Jewish, or something? Why do you have a tree at all, you poser?" The thing is, I'm the reverse of what Jeremy describes in his post on Christmas. I grew up in a secular protestant household, and while I made philosophical choices about my own religious beliefs which led me toward Judaism during my adolescence and adulthood, I find the rituals surrounding Xmas to be key for my enjoyment of the holiday season. I'm not talking dumb rituals like overextending my credit cards and indulging in rampant commercialism; these are the family rituals, such as baking the same cookies I enjoyed helping make as a child, hanging the stocking I've had since I was a baby, and buying and decorating a tree. The last has special meaning for me, for as a hard core environmentalist I've struggled with the idea of killing a live tree each year for my holiday enjoyment. I've thought of getting an artificial one, like so many of my friends, but the idea is kind of repellant to me. I like the smell, and I like the feel of the branches when I'm decorating it.... So I think of it in religious terms, this being a religious holiday. While I personally have a hard time accepting the idea that Christ died for my sins, I'm damn sure that this tree did. I appreciate that. It came from a tree farm, they cut them down at a certain size no matter what.... but if I bring it into my home for a month, decorate it, smell it, and appreciate it, then its sacrifice was not in vain!
How's that for spin?
Monday, December 13, 2004
And Then I Woke Up, and the Semester Was Over!
Thank god that's over. Technically, of course, it's not over; I have an exam tomorrow. But I swear, I have never in my life cared less about prepping for an exam than I have for this one... First, it won't be hard, and second, this class was rather a large pain in the butt which culminated in my turning in two large projects last week. Once those were out of my hands, well..... what exam? Assuming I don't fail the class, I'm only 9 credits away from the master's. Three classes. Next year, at this time, another shiny papery degree on my wall. Mmmm. Then what?
Bathroom remodelling, apparently. No, wait, that needs to happen sooner than the degree. That needs to happen way soon. Blue? Green? Tiled walls? Tiled floor? New vanity? And how the hell am I going to get that stupid bathtub out of there...
Thank god that's over. Technically, of course, it's not over; I have an exam tomorrow. But I swear, I have never in my life cared less about prepping for an exam than I have for this one... First, it won't be hard, and second, this class was rather a large pain in the butt which culminated in my turning in two large projects last week. Once those were out of my hands, well..... what exam? Assuming I don't fail the class, I'm only 9 credits away from the master's. Three classes. Next year, at this time, another shiny papery degree on my wall. Mmmm. Then what?
Bathroom remodelling, apparently. No, wait, that needs to happen sooner than the degree. That needs to happen way soon. Blue? Green? Tiled walls? Tiled floor? New vanity? And how the hell am I going to get that stupid bathtub out of there...
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Like a Beach Vacation in My Bathroom
I had planned to write something about my adventures exploring the wreckage of my family's old business this week, with the welcome assistance of Butterfly Woman. Was going to call it Nancy Drew and the Mystery of the Ruined Factory or something equally enticing. It was pretty damn cool, kind of like an archaeology dig and a post-apocalyptic movie set all rolled into one... But then my plumbing backed up this morning. (Technically, it also backed up Thursday night, but I thought that was a freak accident.) This sent me into a spiral of un-Nancy-like grouchiness. The pipes from my house to the septic tank have a very shallow grade, meaning that gravity isn't working for me as it should, and the pipes are prone to blockage. I'm careful about what I put down them because of this, but apparently we've reached that point again where running the dishwasher or the washing machine causes water to pour from all orifaces of the downstairs bathroom, specifically the tub drain and the toilet. The downstairs bathroom is pretty horrible to begin with, and the occasional floodings haven't helped it. I kept the catbox in the tub down there for a while, since I wasn't using it as a bathtub, and it nicely contained any spilled kitty litter and the occasional cat accident. I moved the catbox a while ago, but there's still a lot of residual cat sand and clay dust in the room. Combine that with a few gallons of water bursting up through the pipes, and voila! It's just like Maui, only with ugly linoleum peeling up at the corners.
So I've had it with the occasional floods. I ripped up the linoleum tonight, I ripped the wallpaper off the walls and the crappy fake woodwork trim off the baseboard. Tomorrow I'm cutting out the carpet in the hallway outside, which is soaked beyond reclaimation. After school finishes up next week, I'm going carpet shopping. Meanwhile, the plumber comes on Tuesday. Nancy Drew will have to wait.
I had planned to write something about my adventures exploring the wreckage of my family's old business this week, with the welcome assistance of Butterfly Woman. Was going to call it Nancy Drew and the Mystery of the Ruined Factory or something equally enticing. It was pretty damn cool, kind of like an archaeology dig and a post-apocalyptic movie set all rolled into one... But then my plumbing backed up this morning. (Technically, it also backed up Thursday night, but I thought that was a freak accident.) This sent me into a spiral of un-Nancy-like grouchiness. The pipes from my house to the septic tank have a very shallow grade, meaning that gravity isn't working for me as it should, and the pipes are prone to blockage. I'm careful about what I put down them because of this, but apparently we've reached that point again where running the dishwasher or the washing machine causes water to pour from all orifaces of the downstairs bathroom, specifically the tub drain and the toilet. The downstairs bathroom is pretty horrible to begin with, and the occasional floodings haven't helped it. I kept the catbox in the tub down there for a while, since I wasn't using it as a bathtub, and it nicely contained any spilled kitty litter and the occasional cat accident. I moved the catbox a while ago, but there's still a lot of residual cat sand and clay dust in the room. Combine that with a few gallons of water bursting up through the pipes, and voila! It's just like Maui, only with ugly linoleum peeling up at the corners.
So I've had it with the occasional floods. I ripped up the linoleum tonight, I ripped the wallpaper off the walls and the crappy fake woodwork trim off the baseboard. Tomorrow I'm cutting out the carpet in the hallway outside, which is soaked beyond reclaimation. After school finishes up next week, I'm going carpet shopping. Meanwhile, the plumber comes on Tuesday. Nancy Drew will have to wait.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Oh No! We're on Bert Alert!
It's about time someone started taking this homeland security terror alert level thing seriously.
As a service to my readers, who want to stay up to date on the current state of our nation's safety, I've put a permanent link to this terror alert system on the left sidebar. When the Dept. of Homeland Security updates our terror level, you'll be among the first to know! (I find it strangely appropriate that the highest level of threat to our nation is "Elmo Alert." He's easily the most alarming muppet ever.)
It's about time someone started taking this homeland security terror alert level thing seriously.
CURRENT TERROR ALERT LEVEL
As a service to my readers, who want to stay up to date on the current state of our nation's safety, I've put a permanent link to this terror alert system on the left sidebar. When the Dept. of Homeland Security updates our terror level, you'll be among the first to know! (I find it strangely appropriate that the highest level of threat to our nation is "Elmo Alert." He's easily the most alarming muppet ever.)
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Because the Squirrels in My Head Told Me To....
Yeah, I'm a little stressed in the last week or two. Or three. I'm trying to finish an incomplete class I took last semester; all that stands between me and a big F on my permenent record are 20 feeble pages of research report. It's mostly written. Mostly. But the last bit is the bit that I didn't research as well as I should have, and now I'm frantically tapdancing to fill it in. Plus the design class projects, both of which are in a state of shambles. Plus work. Plus stress about other work. I've sort of possibly been offered a contract job by someone who I've been lightheartedly asking for work for a year. The problem is, it's not the kind of job I'd thought it was; various factors make me think I'd probably really, REALLY not enjoy it. (It involves a lot of travel, which I enjoy but not for 3 weeks out of every 2 months. It'd look great on my resume, but it'd preclude my school stuff, my other part time or full time work, and some of my hobbies--it's hard to just leave gardening for three weeks at a clip.) So I'm a little freaked at the prospect of making a decision on that. My leaning is to follow my heart, work for Crocodile full-time in 2005, keep my eyes peeled for more suitable jobs.... but I don't relish backing away from contract work for Indy's largest museum, working for someone I like and respect. She'll probably never offer me work again....
All is not lost, though, as I keep telling those pesky squirrels! Piegate 2004 went well, I opted for apple as the alternate pie this year--despite my personally not being an apple pie fan--and it was a rousing success. It's all in the apple choice, I think. I went with Stayman Winesaps, a very hard and slightly tart apple. My usual problem with apple pies is that they're either really mushy, or really flavorless, or both. This pie was neither. I picked up a bag of Ida Reds at the orchard as well, and I'm tempted to make another pie next weekend just to see how they do. Or maybe baked apples.
Back on the political front, I'm pleased to announce my discovery of The Moderate Republican, a blog devoted to the effort to drag my chosen party back toward center. I'm actually not sure it's possible, but I'm so glad someone's trying! I literally found it on the very day I was websearching information on how to withdraw my voter registration from the Republican party, and it stayed my hand. For a while, anyhow.
Yeah, I'm a little stressed in the last week or two. Or three. I'm trying to finish an incomplete class I took last semester; all that stands between me and a big F on my permenent record are 20 feeble pages of research report. It's mostly written. Mostly. But the last bit is the bit that I didn't research as well as I should have, and now I'm frantically tapdancing to fill it in. Plus the design class projects, both of which are in a state of shambles. Plus work. Plus stress about other work. I've sort of possibly been offered a contract job by someone who I've been lightheartedly asking for work for a year. The problem is, it's not the kind of job I'd thought it was; various factors make me think I'd probably really, REALLY not enjoy it. (It involves a lot of travel, which I enjoy but not for 3 weeks out of every 2 months. It'd look great on my resume, but it'd preclude my school stuff, my other part time or full time work, and some of my hobbies--it's hard to just leave gardening for three weeks at a clip.) So I'm a little freaked at the prospect of making a decision on that. My leaning is to follow my heart, work for Crocodile full-time in 2005, keep my eyes peeled for more suitable jobs.... but I don't relish backing away from contract work for Indy's largest museum, working for someone I like and respect. She'll probably never offer me work again....
All is not lost, though, as I keep telling those pesky squirrels! Piegate 2004 went well, I opted for apple as the alternate pie this year--despite my personally not being an apple pie fan--and it was a rousing success. It's all in the apple choice, I think. I went with Stayman Winesaps, a very hard and slightly tart apple. My usual problem with apple pies is that they're either really mushy, or really flavorless, or both. This pie was neither. I picked up a bag of Ida Reds at the orchard as well, and I'm tempted to make another pie next weekend just to see how they do. Or maybe baked apples.
Back on the political front, I'm pleased to announce my discovery of The Moderate Republican, a blog devoted to the effort to drag my chosen party back toward center. I'm actually not sure it's possible, but I'm so glad someone's trying! I literally found it on the very day I was websearching information on how to withdraw my voter registration from the Republican party, and it stayed my hand. For a while, anyhow.
Subscribe to:
Comment Feed (RSS)