Happy New Year's Eve!!

Please have a SAFE and fun end of the old year and beginning of the new.

For Christmas this year, I bought pots (with bases) and sheets of beeswax. I painted the pots (and their bases) in nice colors, and made candles out of the sheets of beeswax. I meant to plant seeds in the pots, and then I meant to plant the candles in the pots. I even bought dirt to do the planting. The dirt, however, remains in the trunk of my car and I basically just gave people the pots and the candles. Despite their state of unwrappedness, I hope the recipients appreciate that I meant to wrap them, I just didn't have time to go and gets gift bags before the holiday.

The above serves only to introduce the real reason for this post. At the moment, there is but one gift left to deliver. One of my friends could not make time for a gift exchange before Christmas, so we agreed to meet after the New Year to do the deed. So as I sit here and try to edit the Heather post into something you might want to read and won't embarrass myself too much later on, I am looking at a pretty blue and white pot containing two pink and white beeswax candles.

And that's what this is all about. The beeswax candles. The smell is wonderful. I go to bed at night with this smell, and I wake up in the morning with this smell, and at odd times of the day as I putter around my bedroom, it washes over me. At the moment, I can't think of anything I like better than the smell of real beeswax candles. I kinda wish I had bought enough wax to make a couple of candles for myself, but that'll have to wait till I can justify spending money on myself again.

However, if you would like a candle, and you live in the SF Bay area, and you don't mind paying $2/sheet (which is a good price, apparently - one sheet makes at least two candles), I'll make the candles for you - this way, you get the candles, and I get to be around the beeswax. Just let me know, and we'll see what we can do.

So I got some spam today (surprise!). The interesting thing about this spam is the targeted list of other people it was sent to, such as Claire and Leia, as well as Julie and the owner of luminescent.org.

The text follows:

****
Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by
(HeatherJ19@aol.com) on Friday, December 28, 2001 at 21:27:36
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

message: Hi, my name is Heather and I am a 19 year old female from San Diego, California. Ever since my 14th birthday, I have been really sexually active, but I am still a virgin. Now I am 19 and away from home, attending school at San Diego State University and sharing a dorm with four of my girlfriends and are all VERY turned on to meet a guy and satisfy ALL of his pleasures. To see our sexy pictures we took just last week and to meet some other couples, go to our site: ::site url erased to protect everyone involved::
*****

Now, your definition of "really sexually active" and how that relates to one's virginity aside, why did Heather bother with such a specific mailing? Do you suppose she reads our sites and wanted to grace us with her ... offer? If so, why would she send this to females? There are lots more questions here, but I don't really feel like voicing them right now.

The mystery, however, is almost enough to make me write to her and ask. Almost.

Via Eric:

The "How the hell did I get on my kitchen Floor" medicine.

And two rather humorous parody ads:
Parody #1
Parody #2

Heh. I got a postcard the other day from someone named Bryan. Bryan, you can write email to me with your snailmail address and then I'll write to you and include my address on it. There's something just not right about having my address online for all to see.

And btw, the address you mailed the postcard to is no longer my current address. Heck, even my current address won't be my address for much longer. *sigh* My new greeting is "Here's my new address. Write it in pencil, 'cause it's going to change soon."

I found a microwave last night at Fry's and Roommie found my toaster oven last night stored over my truck.

I still need some chairs for the dining table she's leaving me and a pair of oven mitts and I'm good to go. Oh, and a coffee table would be wonderful. You know, something to put my feet up on when I'm watching tv.

With the prospect of her leaving, and probably myself as well within the next month, I find that I am reluctant to do anything that resembles cleaning or taking care of my living space. I know that this is not a very healthy attitude, but that's just the way it is. There are boxes everywhere, from her moving out and from my getting stuff to replace that which she's taking, and I'm not exactly sure how long it's been since the bathroom or the kitchen was cleaned.

Essentially what has happened is that my apartment is no longer my home and I don't really care about it. Even when she's gone and I'm the only one there, I don't want to get too comfortable, as I don't intend to keep it. It's too big, and I'm afraid that if I stay there, not only will it bleed my savings account dry, but my possessions will expand to fill it and then, when I really do move, I'll have too much stuff and I'll have to get rid of most of it. I really need to get moved into someplace I like and expect to stay for at least a year, so that I can feel grounded again.

I don't mind moving. I just don't like looking for a place.

No testing done. I'm off to get a microwave and a toaster oven. And if Fry's has chairs, they will be the best darn store in existence.

The best Christmas ever…

Back in the saddle again! Yep, I'm at work - as much to get some testing done as for the high-speed access and the opportunity to leave my foodless and microwaveless apartment to get some food.

And look online for apartments. *sigh*

Christmas was good. Grandma came over, gifts were opened, and lots and lots of food was eaten. I think everyone was happy with what they got, and that they got to spend time with those they love.

Other than that, the whole weekend was a success: Daisy got hair all over the place (the drawback to having a black and white dog is that no matter what you wear, her hair is going to show up on it.) and I got to hang out with my brothers. Now I'm back, and helping Roommie get herself packed up and ready to go before we head up to Seattle next week.

Ringing debate over origin of 'Jingle Bells':

``Jingle Bells'' was what you might call pre-Civil War rock 'n' roll. In its seldom-heard original form, it's about having a flashy vehicle, driving it too fast and using it to pick up girls.

Via Unxmaal, who has to work this holiday season.

I'm a two-timing Catholic.

That's right - I go twice a year: Christmas and Easter.

I had forgotten how much singing goes on during Mass. And standing up and sitting down. I have not forgotten, though, all the responses. 21 years of rote learning doesn't disappear just because you stop going to church.

It's a little eerie out there - I had to go to the post office and the grocery store for some things this morning, and I felt like I was the only one there. I even brought a book along with me, anticipating lines out the wazooo. But I didn't even have a chance to open it.

I guess procrastinating has its benefits.

Two holiday tidbits:

I went to the post office the other day to get holiday stamps. And I figured as long as I'd spent that much time in line, I might as well stock up on my regular stamps and the stamps I send to the bill collectors (they don't warrant the nice ones). I narrowly escaped getting the Islamic stamps (there's nothing wrong with these, they're beautiful, just not my religion - don't worry, I avoided the Madonna stamps too, even though they are my religion), and settled on some Santa Claus stamps, picked up a sheet of breast cancer stamps and asked also for a sheet of Love stamps. The lady behind the counter was more than helpful with all my purchases except,

Her: We don't have any Love.
Me: *blank look*
Me: You don't have any Love for sale?
Her: No, I'm sorry, I can't give you any Love.

She smiled. I was pleased that she saw the humor in the situation.

The second story happened a few nights ago when Jish took me to a Christmas party thrown by some of his co-workers. I wore a red sweater I rarely wear, partly because it is so very, very red and also because it is a turtleneck, which usually makes me feel like I'm being suffocated by my clothing, a sensation I generally try to avoid. Anyway, these are two issues I can get past if it's the holiday season and I'm not going to be out for long.

Anyway, I had rushed home in order to change, not having a very clear idea of what I was going to wear until I pulled the items out of my dresser. So dressing wasn't done with the same amount of care and forethought that I usually put into my ensembles. But I was pleased with what I came up with, and congratulated myself on the outcome. So halfway through the party, I was standing there, listening to those around me talk about their work stuff and remembered this particular sweater's penchant for riding up in the collar area and decided that was as good a time as any to fix it. I fiddled with the edge, I fiddled with the bottom, I decided to pull from the inside and ... found the tag.

Yes, I had put the sweater on backwards. And I couldn't do a darn thing about it. I was pleased that Jish saw the humor in the situation.

There isn't any more to either of these stories. They just occur to me every once in a while and make me smile, so I thought I'd share.

Happy Holidays!!!

I went home early yesterday, slightly ill. That's why the blogging ended in the a.m. hours. A few hours of sleep and some Advil, and things were peachy ... at least until the Advil wore off. But I spent a completely enjoyable time having dinner with some friends from my hometown.

Today I drove and drove and drove till I arrived Home, encountering only a few idiots who felt that their need was great enough to risk driving recklessly through rain and heavy traffic. Now I'm here, and Daisy is very happy to see me, as are my parents, since they have been waiting for two weeks for me to come Home and set up their brand new computer. It's funny, in the groups I usually hang out in, I'm the non-technical one, the newbie, the one who must have everything explained to her in very simple terms. When I come Home, I'm the expert. It's kinda scary.

Conversation as a result of a gift from Kevin:

Metagrrrl: oo, dang these are yummy candies...
Me: Yes, they are. I'm hoping *someone* else shows up and eats some, or I will eat more than I deserve.
Metagrrrl: Nay, nay, not more than you deserve. More than is prudent.
Me: Ok, I can go with that.
Metagrrrl: You *deserve* a whole tray of them, fed to you by attractive men, who also sing, dance & give foot massages.
Me: Ooooh, foot massages.
Metagrrrl: Yesss.... Oh. And they can give pedicures and are expert polish appliers.
Metagrrrl: And gourmet chefs

Poor poinsettia. It never had a chance. There is not a single leaf left alive. I'm declaring it dead as of today.

So today is Friday. I get to go Home tomorrow. I'm wearing one of my favorite green t-shirts with my other Christmas pin, and the green version of my nifty shoes. Christmas is almost here, I've finished all my presents - delivering them before I leave tomorrow is the only logistical problem left to work out. And I realized that I had better get the rest of my cards mailed today if people are to get them anywhere close to the Tuesday.

And for reasons you'll never know, I slept on the floor and then my couch last night, and my neck, shoulders, and lower back are complaining incessantly. Really, next time I'd like to come back as an invertebrate.

Could you work on that? Thanks.

Dinah's giving me a sheep this holiday season. Lucky me.

Guess who's getting ducks?? Quack, quack.

It is difficult to run an acceptance test in a timely manner when you have an overprotective engineer looking over your shoulder.

I am currently back at my own computer because I got tired of him reaching over me to use the keyboard on the testing system.

I'd like to note that, much as I dislike all things Microsoft, Netscape browser sucks. And Solaris is a difficult OS to work with.

Because Roommie is moving out this month, we're not having Christmas in the way we'd envisioned when I moved in. All my decorations are still stored above my car, we don't have a tree and I didn't even put up any lights. In lieu of unpacking stuff that I will just have to pack again, maybe I'll try making some Paper Snowflakes.

Via Bob The Corgi.

So I'm chatting with my 11 year-old friend and she asked what I was doing. Normally, I would just copy the link of the site I'm reading and send it along, but I felt a twinge of conscience at thought of sending her the reactions to Davezilla's posts on an adolescent encounter with Canadian "dancers" and Bibleman.

As the (ahem) adult in the conversation, I feel responsible for preserving her innocence for as long as I can. Or at least not contributing to its erosion.

I'm so glad I don't have kids.

Along the lines of Kevin's letter-writing project (as well as my own): EcoPaper.Com

Good things about today:

It's Thursday. Which means tomorrow's Friday. And then I get to go Home for the holiday.

I'm wearing a pretty, dark green sweater and sporting my Christmas pin. Oh, and a nifty pair of red shoes.

It's raining. And thundering.

I get to have lunch with a group named the Mutual Admiration Society. And tonight I'm having dinner with a group of friends at one of my favorite restaurants.

And did I mention that I'm going Home on Saturday?? I'm going Home on Saturday.

Rhymes with Orange! presents: RWO Solves the Recession.

Do your part to help the economy.

Need something silly to read? Check out the BritneyBlog.

mayfly project 2001

Found a friend. Fell in love, but all by myself. The friendship survives, stronger. Moved. Moving again. sigh. Learning alot.

Via JessaJune.

I'd heard that Lord of the Rings was pretty darn good, but this review makes me a believer. I think I need to see this movie soon.

Warning: If you haven't read the book or aren't familiar with the story, and you care about that sort of thing, then perhaps you shouldn't read the review.

Via Kevin.

U.S. Indicts Tyson Foods for Alien Smuggling

I think you can make your own jokes here.

Via Dave.

As disturbing as makeup for men, along comes Mantyhose. I guess I prefer the more archaic notion of masculinity that disdains the use of products traditionally made only for women.

Mantyhose via Jisheroo.

A Trader Joe's tin of Earl Grey tea showed up in the office recently and I was showing Dinah how beautiful it was. I lamented my dislike of Earl Grey, more because of the flavor than the caffeine, and how I wished I did like it, just as I wish I liked coffee or alcohol. You know, to bring me more into the mainstream, so that I can enjoy the same things that so many others seem to get pleasure from.

At the very least, it would make me more like Captain Pickard.

Via Kevin: hugs for everyone!

Wow. Just read something that hit me like a ton of bricks with the pain it reminded me of ... and so I turn to my trusty dusty little desk calendar to change the day and hopefully change my outlook, and all it can tell me is that "Mistakes are really not that big a deal."

Maybe I'll look back a few years from now and be able to say that with some truthfulness, but right now, it's a little too close to my heart and it does seem like a very big deal.

Reading up on how to administer pills to smart kittens, I learned how to make the ¢ symbol. It's amazing what you can pick up in the normal course of your day ...

CostCo. A story I'm sure many of us can relate to in one way or another.

*sniffle*
I was out and about this afternoon doing errands and heard on the radio that Stuart Adamson of Big Country was found dead this weekend. The Crossing was one of my favorite tapes ... so much so that I wore it out and had to buy the CD.

*snicker*
On another note entirely, Caterina cites an article about one ingenious method of stopping terrorism. As she states, "Thus fighting fire with fire is not always the way to go. Fighting fire with marshmallows, sand or rain might be the better solution."

It's so nice when you mis-hear stuff in meetings that lead you to believe that you have a lot more work to do than is actually the case, 'cause the relief that you experience when you discover your mistake is (almost) worth the anxiety.

Although there was this whole testing thing that I missed and still might have to stay late. But it's way easier to test and compile a bug report than make up nice text to tell people how to do stuff.

Email as content (but you can see why the subject line caught my eye):

Chocolate is a Vegetable

Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans.
Bean = vegetable.
Sugar is derived from either sugar CANE or sugar BEETS.

Both are plants, which places them in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a vegetable.

To go one step further, chocolate candy bars also contain milk, which is dairy. So candy bars are a health food.

Chocolate-covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

Christmas has officially begun here at Maison de Booboolina. Two! Count 'em, Two! boxes arrived for me today.

And I can't open them. It was hard enough avoiding the "Reveal purchased items" on the wishlist. This is torture.

Yesterday's little tidbit from my desk calendar: "There's an almost universal tendency to overexaggerate our workloads."

I don't think I could overexaggerate my workload this week even if I tried. Maybe this week in the calendar was not the best place to put that reminder in, as most people are trying to get two weeks of work done in one so they can take off for the holiday, while getting all the last-minute Christmas stuff done at the same time. Not to mention that yesterday was the busiest day of the year for the post office. I'm sure those poor people would not take kindly to this particular sentiment.

Or maybe I'm making too much of the platitudes of a desk calendar.

A silly rant:

Edmond recently cited an article that stated, among other interesting tidbits, that "women who drive the new Volkswagen Beetles and Minis are the most fun." I was referred to as one of these women, since I happen to drive one of those very bright yellow Beetles.

I guess there are people out there who are not aware of how much I dislike this car. Don't get me wrong - I drive it almost everywhere. I mean, it's a company car, so it's free. And my truck has over 120,000 miles on it and doesn't need any more. And it has a 6-CD changer. And a sunroof. And it can seat more than 2 normal sized people, or 1 normal person and 2 skinny people. And those would be the only reasons I drive it.

Why?

I don't like yellow cars and I don't like the new Beetles. I feel like I'm in a fishbowl when I'm driving it. This is, in part, because the dashboard takes up about a third of the interior space. You could eat a 5-course meal off that dashboard. And the backseat is uncomfortable. And it's trendy, which I'm anything but. Most of all, I really don't like the idea that people see me in this car and think, "she's the kind of girl who would buy a yellow Bug." Because I'm not. I'm so not that kind of girl (not that there's anything wrong with that).

It's only recently that I have been financially able to start saying No when people offer me free stuff, because I feel like I'm at a point in my life where I want the things I own and use to reflect me and my style. I use the car for the reasons stated above, but I don't particularly like it.

But I am a fun person, regardless of the car I drive.

Perfect for a Tuesday morning: The Insanity Test.

Via Unxmaal.

Speaking of excessive shopping, I did all of my online shopping today. I now know my credit card number by heart and I can tell you the pros and cons of certain online businesses and their checkout process.

Oy.

Today was another lesson in shopping while hungry. At Cost Plus.

I held back though, and bought only one square of chocolate. And a box of all-natural macaroni and cheese. And some jam. And a candle.

But it could have been worse. Oh yes. Much, much worse.

To get you in the holiday mood: Snow-Bowling.

Via 3 Bruces

Oh my. Recent Engrish Discoveries

Via Nubbin.

Heron

Today, on a rare sunny morning, a heron stalks wee beasties in their tunnels under snow. The tyrrannosaur tiptoes through trees.

Hamlet died on the bus this morning. This afternoon, I take the 110 to Arden.

Most people, when they get their hair cut, go for a trim. If they're feeling adventurous, they might go for a whole 2 inches! Not JessaJune though. Oh no. She decided to take off 12 inches on Friday (by the same woman who cuts my hair, btw).

Partly out of a need for change, partly as a gift to her mother, she made a donation of the foot o' hair to Locks of Love, a "non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children across the U.S. under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss."

Which is just plain cool.

Lovely site: Banshee Studios

I do have the best friends, and they all came out of the woodwork this weekend. I celebrated a year of friendship with someone on Thursday, celebrated another good friend's impressive achievement on Friday, got to be creative and somewhat artistic on Saturday (Christmas gifts in the making), and brunch with friends and dinner with my parents and friends yesterday.

Not to mention that I received a DVD player as an early Christmas gift. How cool is that?

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you .

Now I'm off to change all my wishlist movies from VHS to DVD.

Two notes for the end of the day, and then I really have to avoid the internet altogether:

Glenn Miller rocks. So does Linkin Park.

And another good cartoon: The Soak, via my browser homepage.

Ok. The new Trillian comes complete with emotisounds. That is, they have a lot more emoticons available and some of them play the appropriate sounds when you send/receive them. I just had a 20 minute conversation with someone trying to figure out which emoticons came with what sounds. If you're using the tool, the recurring theme was:
(@)
(bum)
3:-0
(t)
:-p
:'-(

Forgive us. We're simple people. We're also cheap dates. Yes, that was a hint.

You'd have to be pretty much a loser (albeit a rich one) to have to resort to Coincidence Design to snag you a date.

You've found success; you drive an expensive car, own a mansion, and have money to burn. On top of all this, you're fairly young, you work out, and can make witty remarks. But you haven't found your dream wife yet. The women you date don't live up to your image of the ideal woman.
....
What's left? You aren't some law-breaking psycho. You can't STALK her.

But WE CAN.

Via Jisheroo.

Do you have issues? Problems that need talking out or fixing? Philosophies about life that you'd like to discuss with someone who can relate and understand and respond intelligently?

Talk to Dinah. She's your man the answer to your prayers.

After a very pleasant lunch (that I made much longer by needing to do stuff that I really should have taken care of at another time) and some good discussion, I have come back much less whiney. Why? I got to eat at my favorite restaurant. I figured out that I need to put off looking for a place to live till next month. This will allow me to focus on the important stuff right now, like putting together my Christmas gifts and handling Roommie leaving me. And finally, she reassured me that my hair will grow out.

It's really unfortunate when your plans for your hair length don't coincide with your hairdresser's plans for your hair length.

At least she's not an artist and only cut it a bit shorter than I wanted (at a time when I'm trying to grow it out, hence the whiny-ness) rather than making me outright ugly. The preceeding statement is borne of emotional baggage from previous hair nightmare experiences where I told them what I wanted, they said Ok and then proceeded to do whatever they had previously planned to do anyway. Ever since I started getting my hair professionally cut back in the 6th grade, these people have wanted me to have short hair. WTF??

*sigh* I really am in a whiney mood today.

I was given my first-ever poinsettia this year and it's dying. I've heard my mom complaining that it's difficult to keep these things alive, but I never realized just how difficult. Not that I've tried very hard, but most of my plants gave me a bit more time to fuck up before they died on me. This one has taken about a week and a half to lose almost all its leaves.

I water it. It's in a relatively bright part of the room. What am I doing wrong?!?!*

*Apparently I need to change the imood setting over to the right from 'pretty' to 'whiny'.

My little desk calendar says, "The next time you're feeling a little uptight in your home, try to imagine that a stranger is taking notes on your behavior."

I'm not sure how that is supposed to make things better.

A friend of mine is graduating tonight (she's getting her MBA). What should I get for her?

Wondering where to stay the next time you're in Houston?? I wouldn't suggest this place.

Via Kevin.

When things get so balled up that the people of a country have to cut loose from some other country, and go it on their own hook, without asking no permission from nobody, excepting maybe God Almighty, then they ought to let everybody know why they done it, so that everybody can see they are on the level, and not trying to put nothing over on nobody.

- The Declaration of Independence in American.

Via 3Bruces.

Jish called me up this morning to wish me a happy anniversary today. Yup, we've known each other for only a year, although it feels like we've been friends for so much longer. Anyway, it was a significant event in that the reason we met was that we went to see the Vagina Monologues together. Yeah, first time meeting a guy and we go see something called the Vagina Monologues.

I have a theory about what you do on first time meetings and what it bodes for the rest of your relationship. Apparently this show is a good one for first meetings. (Unlike the time I went to see Last Action Hero on a first date ... I think that relationship lasted all of a week, maybe.)

Twelve days of cookies

I am so up for 12 days of cookies!!

I'm chatting with a junior high school student who is working on a journal detailing what's been going on with bin Laden since Sept. 11. She hasn't kept up with it and told me that she has about a month left to chronicle. I innocently asked if she was referencing newspapers in her attempt to get her facts straight, and she told me that she's using the CNN timeline.

And that's when I told her that when I was in school, the internet hadn't even been invented yet (ok you pedants - it wasn't invented so that I could use it). I stopped short of telling her that, until I turned 21 and went away to college, I did all my papers on a typewriter ... and that I had to walk to school ... uphill both ways ... in the snow ... hopping on one foot to keep the other warm ...

I feel so old.

Background: In the old days, I used to be roommates with JessaJune and her (now ex-)boyfriend, Bill.

Now, we're all graduates of small, private colleges with good liberal arts programs, we all graduated with English Lit degress, and we all read *a lot*. An average afternoon could find any or all of us draped across the living room furniture, noses in books.

Regardless of our similar qualifications, however, Bill would invariably beat us at any game that he introduced us to. So much so, that he would often handicap himself so that the game would last more than 15 minutes before he beat us again. One of the games we loved most of all was Boggle. Since we parted ways, I haven't had an opportunity to play with any of them. Now, at least I'll get to play, if not against someone who has to make up rules for himself so that he doesn't win within the first 5 minutes.

Next time, I'll be the over-qualified one. (Don't worry, I'll play on my own time, Dinah. I would never use company time for something like that. No, really!! I wouldn't!)

.-- .-- .-- -... --- --- -... --- --- .-.. .. -. .- -.-. --- --

Via .-- .-- .-- .--- .. ... .... . .-. --- --- -.-. --- -- .

Everyone seems so excited about the new Trillian that I decided today to try it again. We'll see how it goes this time.

Darn, disappear for one day, and people are ready to send out the national guard looking for you. I appreciate the concern, though, since apparently I sounded like I was on my deathbed when I called in sick yesterday. I feel the love.

More distressing, however, is the fact that I have come back with little time or patience to read all the stuff I missed out on by being offline for a day and a half. That, and that there was so much stuff to miss. *sigh*

I'm back!

Lord of the Onion Rings

Via Harrumph.

Someone just yelled "Jiffy-Pop!" at me for obvious but unexpected reasons. Scared the friggin' sh*t outta me.

Pulling content from an IM conversation again.

Metagrrrl: I've decided to start [the customer's] CAT as I do the UEED & validate the UEFD
Metagrrrl: whee! Acronym city!
Metagrrrl: (I guess that should properly be UEEDD - which makes me hear this rap "To the U, to the double E, double D"
Metagrrrl: Are you down wit dat?
Metagrrrl: in fact, I think the new name for that document may just have to be E2D2
Me: We can start referring to ourselves according to Star Wars names too ...
Metagrrrl: dibs on Han Solo
Metagrrrl: does that make you Chewbacca?
Me: I'll be the Wookie*.
Metagrrrl: Right on!
Metagrrrl: You can go "GRRRRAAAARR" and wave your blast rifle if I get outta line

*Editor's note: I didn't want to be Princess Leia from Return of the Jedi, what with the skimpy little outfit and all. However, it was pointed out to me later on that she was a good role model in the first movie and kicked some serious ass. So after the fact, I've changed my answer. I'll be the Princess from the first movie instead.

Dinah noticed that I am reading The Tale of Genji, considered the world's first novel, and pointed me to the Tale of Murasaki, a fictional account of the author, based on what little is known about her and historical documents of the time.

A lovely site, with some interesting subject discussions on topics like cosmetics and seasons.

Happy Hanukkah!!

Weekend recap:

I had a wonderful weekend. Reconnecting with friends I haven't seen in years; spending a lot more time with best friends; walking around in Golden Gate Park on a day that belongs in September instead of December; being in a warm bed while the wind howls outside ... these make for an excellent break from the chaos that is work and getting ready for Christmas.

Dancing at the Galaxy Club Tonight!

Hey SF-area people,

Sorry for the late notice, but The Roommie and I have decided to go dancing in The City tonight, as one of the last remaining non-scheduled-in-advance opportunities left this month and we're hoping you can join us!!!

Shindig details:
Galaxy Club
1840 Haight St.
415-387-2996
http://www.digitalcity.com/sanfrancisco/bars/venue.adp?vid=32220
http://www.sfstation.com/clubs/galaxy.htm
These links will tell you all you need to know about cover, music and location.

We'll be there at 10. Hope you can make it!

From my (bored) friend, Robert, a few well-timed pieces inspired by a lovely Friday afternoon's yearning to be outside:

For himself:
Sunlight on green grass
Beyond window life awaits
Clearly, I am bored.

For me:
Stacks of yellow-gold leaves
Need me to rearrange them
Gotta go now, boss.


For JessaJune:
red dwarf cat shiny
funny word test not my fault
partly scattered...Quirt.

Dinah posted something innocuous about her parking style. It's the comments that are making me fall off my chair laughing. 'Cause you know, that's my sense of humor.

Oh yeah, speaking of the roommate, I forgot I'm supposed to be looking for an apartment.

*sigh*

My roommate is a freak, and I say that with all the love in my heart.

The following song pretty much captures how I'm feeling today. In a sense, I don't regret the decisions I've made regarding past relationships, as I know I acted according to my heart at the time. What I regret is the possibility that was there but never really worked out. I would never ask anyone I've been involved with back into my life, 'cause hopefully both of us have moved on since then, but still, there was a time when we thought it was wonderful and that there was a future for us together. Oh well, just thinking out loud. Again.

Ghost
Indigo Girls
CD: Rites of Passage

There's a letter on the desktop that I dug out of a drawer;
The last truce we ever came to in our adolescent war.
And I start to feel the fever from the warm air through the screen.
You come regular like seasons shadowing my dreams.

The Mississippi's mighty, but it starts in Minnesota
at a place where you could walk across with five steps down.
And I guess that's how you started--like a pinprick to my heart,
and at this point you rush right through me and I start to drown.

And there's not enough room in this world for my pain.
Signals cross and love gets lost and time past makes it plain,
of all my demon spirits I need you the most.
I'm in love with your ghost

Dark and dangerous like a secret, it's whispered in a hush.
When I wake the things I dreamt about you last night make me blush.
And you kiss me like a lover, and you sting me like a viper,
I go follow to the river, play your memory like the piper.

And I feel it like a sickness how this love is killing me.
But I'd walk into the fingers of your fire willingly.
And dance the edge of sanity--I've never been this close.
I'm in love with your ghost

Oh, unknowing captor, you'll never know how much you pierce my spirit
I can't touch you--can you hear it?
A cry to be free, or I'm forever under lock and key as you pass through me.

Now I see your face before me; I would launch a thousand ships
to bring your heart back to my island as the sand beneath me slips.
As I burn up in your presence and I know now how it feels
to be weakened like Achilles with you always at my heels.

And my bitter pill to swallow is this silence that I keep
that poisons me, I can't swim free, the river is too deep.
Though I'm baptized by your touch, I am no worse at most.
I'm in love with your ghost

I found my tape of The Outfield's Play Deep over the Thanksgiving weekend while at my parents' place and I have rediscovered a love for obscure 80's music that I thought I had lost. I mean, it's one thing to surf by the local 80's radio station and get lost in the nostalgia, quite another to break out some very dated music and listen to it till you remember all the words, pauses, and inflections that you forgot after 10 years of not listening to it.

I almost gave in to my brother's urging to get a car stereo that had only a cd player, but I think I'll stick to being able to play tapes in the car. Otherwise, my huge, back-of-the-closet collection of tapes (a medium I haven't purchased since sometime in 1992) will all go to waste. And that would be really sad.

I'm not sure how I feel about this, especially since I've started exercising again:



Take the What Cat Are You? test!

Via Chez Lubacov.

Clumsy?

The Straight Dope on Eye Color

Eye color is mainly a function of the pigment melanin. If your eyes have a lot of it, they're brown. If they don't, they're blue. (Some details of this explanation are in dispute, but don't worry about that now.) Green eyes result from yellowish flecks of fatty pigment against a dark background. Some men think a green-eyed woman is exotic. The truth is she's got fat eyes.

Via Ericeroo.

The Art of Laze cookbook

Sounds good, especially for those single females who like to cook, but are often too lazy to do so.

Via Fark.com.

Having just driven back from lunch, all I can say is TURN SIGNALS.

Kevin wants to begin? resume? writing real, old-fashioned letters. I have this thought every time I think of how long it's been since I communicated with my grandma.

I think it's a worthy cause, and one I might just pick up. Maybe next month. Hey, if you'd like me to send you something via snailmail sometime, be it a 4-page note on the status of my love life (something I can go on and on and on and on about, ad infinitum) or a postcard, send me your mailing address and I'll see what I can do. Never fear, I won't pass on your address to junk mailers, and if you do it early enough, you just might get something in the mail before Christmas :) The worst that could happen is you won't hear from me, not because I don't like you, but because I'm a flake.

I only post the quality material first thing in the morning: The Top 12 Things Uttered by Yoda While Making Love.

Via BoingBoing.net.

Goofy?

Eeksy-Peeksy

The sun just came out. That's right, the sun is gay. Who knew?

Ouch, this is me: Girlfriend Spoils Moment By Proofreading Love Note

Gay Sheep Come Out of the Closet.

"The difficulty for homosexual sheep is that it's difficult to find another male who will stand still," Perkins explained. "If there is a ram that is hurt or caught in a fence, then they can mount him, but otherwise there are so few receivers that it becomes difficult for homosexuals to express themselves." ....

"It's very difficult to look at the possibility of lesbian sheep," Perkins explained, "because if you are a female sheep, what you do to solicit sex is stand still. You don't mount. So, it's very rare that a female sheep would mount another female sheep."

"Maybe there is a female sheep out there really wanting another female," Perkins speculated, "but there's just no way for us to know it."

Via Ericeroo, via BoingBoing.net.

I dream in color. Do you?

'Terrorists have won' declarations make us all losers in the end

See also Tom the Dancing Bug.

Via Now This.

::yaaaaaawwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnn::

Dave Barry has come out with his Christmas gift suggestions for this year.

Via 3Bruces.

I watched Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure last night, switching to the Billboard Music Awards during the commercial breaks.

Gosh, I feel old.

"Bill and Ted" was the first date I ever went on, as a very very naive 1617-year-old with her first crush-that-might-actually-work-out. It didn't, which should have been a good indication of how the rest of my love life would work out, but still. It certainly brought back a lot of memories. I remember where we went to eat (Marie Callendars in Pismo Beach) and where we saw the movie (Festival Cinemas on Branch St) and what sort of car he drove ('57 Chevy). I even remember what I was wearing that night. I'm not sure what that says about me.

As for the Billboard Music Awards, maybe I'm not old, just out of the popular culture loop. I don't know. They all seemed awfully young and over made-up, even the "men."

PostScript:
As I wrote this, I thought maybe I had become old, as I couldn't remember that first date's name for the life of me. But I remember now. His name is Jim. Jim what, I don't know. But at least I remember his first name.

Also, "Bill and Ted" was an unfortunate career move for Mr. Reeves. I mean, he can't act now, but to have fixed that particular view of him in everyone's mind before they could see that he really can't act was perhaps not the best decision. I can remember that Dangerous Liasons was the next movie I saw him in, and even in 18th century France, I kept expecting him to blurt out something along the lines of "Let's go surfing, dude!"

And I'm kinda sad that Destiny's Child won Best Performer of the Year over Shaggy and J-Lo. I really really don't like Destiny's Child (especially when they wear skirts so tight they can barely walk!).

It's really embarrassing to start laughing uncontrollably at your computer when you're at work. I mean, my co-workers just wouldn't see the humor in the captions blog, which is unfortunate for them. But too friggin' funny for me.

Update: it's bad when you realize that the only way you're to be able to quit laughing is to close the window. And you do it.

Kevin wants everyone to see Matt Nathanson. I don't know about his music, but he's pretty darn cute, which is good enough for me! And the man has a journal, so he's got to have some redeeming qualities, right?

Cool site: Nowhereville, USA: Where life is measured out in coffee spoons

Some of my favorite bloggers have participated in a roundtable on writing on the web. Go check it out!

Heh, I've been called enigmatic before, but I've never been compared to the Mona Lisa:

If I were a work of art, I would be Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. I am extremely popular and widely known. Although unassuming and unpretentious, my enigmatic smile has charmed millions. I am a mystery, able to be appreciated from afar, but ultimately unknowable and thus intriguing. Which work of art would you be? The Art Test

Via JessaJune.

Dinah just gave me a bag of porcini mushroom powder (from her parents' garden in Mendocino) and a bag of cardamom seeds.

I have to find some recipes now that use those ingredients. It never does to waste gifts such as these.

Public Service Announcement for the Day.

Since I woke up at 5:30 this morning I've had lots of ideas for good posts today, most of them socially conscious and holiday-oriented, but really all I can think to mention right now is TURN SIGNALS.

People, the car manufacturers put those little sticks next the wheel for a reason. Please use them. Not only are they functional and safe, in that they alert those around us to your intentions BEFORE you slide across 4 lanes of heavy traffic, they are also a courtesy. It's like saying, "Excuse me, I'm going to cut you off now" rather than just cutting in, or "I'm coming to a complete stop in the middle of traffic because I'm going to turn, not because I'm a complete idiot, and I'd like you not to rear-end me."

I won't go into the advantages of using turn signals when the person you're cutting off is behind you rather than next to you, or the idiocy wasted effort of putting on the turn signal when you're already in the turn lane ... I figure if people just started using them in the first place, that would be a start. We'll work on the finer points later.

I've been encouraged to Support The Economy! Have you?

Loopy?

Am I unusual in my enjoyment of the physical pleasures of our existence?? I fail to see how wonderful a pill that could make sleeping optional could be. I love to eat, bathe, touch chanille/silk/soft cotton/smooth skin ... and sleep. I have never felt like I was sleeping too much, that sleep cut into time that could be better spent elsewhere. Sure, there have been times when I had to do something that was affected with my extreme sleepiness, but even then I'd rather have been sleeping than driving/sitting in class/working anyway.

Never mind the warnings plastered all over the article, such as

"Even if the drug is safe, it seems dangerous to mess with your body's sleep needs," Scammell said. "Aside from the obvious effects on brainpower, which modafinil does seem to counter, there is evidence that lack of sleep hurts the endocrine system and the immune system." ....
"My take on this is that as a culture, we already over-work and under-rest," she said. "We are too driven to do more and more to keep ahead of the game. We abuse the natural sleep-wake cycle and so far it appears to turn around and bite us when we do."

Via Morbuseroo.

Wow. My USoFyne horoscope:

Your body has access to areas and frequencies that have heretofore lay dormant (think ‘Q’ Spot). Before you reach this glorious state, you will face challenges at the workplace, and at home. Consciously or not, you ask for these challenges so that you can study the whole range of vibrations (think orgasms) that make up the beauty of creation (think hot sex). Of course, you like exciting and sometimes dangerous (think S&M) situations that may possibly lead you to even greater satisfaction. Smartest days will be the 11th and the 22nd.

Kinda sorta via Jisheroo.

Getting in to work early has its disadvantages. Among them is getting hungry at 11 a.m. <whine>When can I go to lunch??</whine>

Noticing that someone had spent enough time to look at 16 pages of my site, I didn't realize that I had expressed my surprise out loud ... when I explained to my co-worker the source, all he could say was, "They don't have a life."

The Boring Page, and its translations (including pig latin).

Via 3Bruces.

Mark's in a comedy show tomorrow night. Please come and take this opportunity to laugh at with him.

Um, ok. Everyone else is doing it.

KPMG

Twitterpated? Productive?

Someone's getting turned on for science

At NU, psychologists are paying women to be aroused by porn. It's more fun than looking at ink blots.
....
"It appears that women, regardless of sexual orientation, respond to everything," Bailey said.

Oh, to be an inexperienced co-ed.

Via The Wandering Weblogger.

Heh. Someone very sweet sent me a link today: The M-W Word of the Day, sort of.

I responded with this.

The Armpit of America

Nevada, she said, attracts people who have trouble fitting in anywhere else, and of those misfits, the ones who have trouble fitting in in Nevada go to small towns like Battle Mountain.

Via Evhead.

A weekend-review conversation with my Swedish friend:

Him: Yesterday, I had glügg and ginger-cookies and ...
Me: Why?
Him: Well, it was the beginnging of Ad ... Advent?
Me: Yeah, but you're not Catholic!
Him: It doesn't matter, it's a good reason to drink glügg!

31337, celebrating five years of no content.

You must go there for the banner ad.

Via Kevineroo.

I finally bought a journal yesterday. Yeah, one of those paper thingies. Actually, I bought two, as I am well aware that I will need to experiment for a while with this new medium to find one that fits me and my needs.

So I chose the larger volume as I chased the sun from Austin to Los Angeles yesterday afternoon and began to write. Man, like I said, it will take a while to get used to this. Despite the obvious purpose of what you're reading here, I'm not really used to writing about myself. Here, when I get all mixed up and don't know what to say, I just post links or make jokes or talk about other people. That way, I'm still communicating, but I don't have to say anything close to my heart. But I want this journal to be close to my heart. Yet as I stared at the blank pages yesterday, despite all the crap that's been building up inside of me, looking for an outlet, I couldn't think of a thing to say. What did finally appear was insufficient, but a start. There's no one here to amuse and no one hide from but myself, and that's kinda scary.

What The Cats Are Doing While You Are At Work

Via Jisheroo.

*sniffle* Diary of a Mad Monk is no more.

Oh yeah, and I am supposed to give a shout-out to Ephram, the nice guy who made my flight from LAX to San Jose last night very enjoyable, as I got to talk to someone rather than read (not that reading is a problem - it's just that I spent a lot of time in airports and airplanes this weekend, reading.). Turns out we were readingholding the same book, which is where the conversation started.

So I got back from Austin last night. The wedding was beautiful and the food was fabulous . The bride outshone everyone, as is the way it should be. The church was your stereotypical postcard Protestant church out in the middle of nowhere, white spire in the midst of fields. The happy couple are off in the Carribbean somewhere now, celebrating the beginning of what I hope is a long, long time together.

Travel tip: never spend more time in your hotel room than you do out and about in the town you're visiting. I am immeasurably comforted by the fact that I'm going out there again soon.

ps
James, it's my father's wife's daughter. Technically, she's my step-sister, although she's never really been my sister, as her mother isn't really my mother, as my father has been more of friend than a father my entire life. So yeah, she got married this last weekend.

If I was a James Bond villain, I would be Mr Wint or Mr Kidd. I enjoy strong cologne, the company of men, and stabbing people with flaming shish-kebabs. I am played by Bruce Glover or Putter Smith in Diamonds Are Forever. Who would you be? James Bond Villain Personality Test

Via cheesedip.com.