Perambulations in Verbiage

1) Sick. Have been so for over a week with a cold that fluctuates between giving me a few sniffles here and there and leaving me feeling like a plague victim. After sleeping about 18 hours Monday (aided by furry water bottles in the form of two cats and a dog), I'm up and moving around, but everyone still sounds like they're underwater.

2) Moving. Ack! From a two-story townhome with garage on the edge of town to a single-story house with a cellar in my favorite part of town and in walking distance to almost everything. And did I mention the built-in cupboards in the "new" place? They're everywhere. I love them. With all the bookshelves we're bringing with us, we may actually have space for ALL of our books now. Until we buy more, that is. And of course, there are all the hassles of moving to be dealt with over the next month. Did I mention I hate moving? With a firey passion that burns greater than a thousand suns? It sets off pretty much every trigger I have about security and "my stuff".

3) Item 2 sort of derailed my 52 project for now. I'm going to have some serious catching up to do after March, or I won't be pleased with myself at all. At least I'm still managing to write a bit every day.

Passing it on -

I just do not think I can express how TOTALLY AWESOME this is.

You'll have to watch it and see for yourself.



And okay, they aren't really Sam and Dean Winchester - they're actually two guys named Stjepan Hauser and Luka Sulic, who are even more awesome, because they're, y'know, real people.

My thanks to starwyse for pointing this out.

I did not finish anything last week. Boo.

I did make significant headway on both a short story and a pair of bloomers (they're short and red - oooh, racy). The bloomers will most likely be done by the end of this week, in which case, pictures! The short story is coming along, but it surprised me by being a short story, rather than the micro-fiction I had "planned", so I'm not sure when it will be done. I am however both excited about it, and determined to finish it, so I'm sure I'll get there.

In lieu of talking about my projects, I will instead pimp the projects of two inspirational ladies:

First, one who inspired me to keep my goals well-defined and attainable via her year long cello vlog. Thank you nataliesee!

Check it out here!
Natalie at the cello

Here's her final vlog:



Next up, kaz_mahoney (who also shares my Wonder Woman obsession, so you know she's super-cool), periodically comes up with really nifty ideas for writing. Her most recent inspiration, and one I have actually managed to keep up with, is to write AT LEAST 250 words of fiction EVERY day.

Shown here, at her blog.

So, there you go. Please enjoy these very inspiring posts, and I will be back soon with an actual project update.

Be seeing you!

Duran Duran released a new album this week. According to thier producer, Mark Ronson, they went for a sort of "imaginary follow-up to Rio" concept, which is pretty evident in several of the tracks. I do not have a problem with that. (It also doesn't hurt that I think Simon is still pretty damn hot...) Here, check out the new video:



I like and or love a wide variety of music in a vast array of styles. DD will always be my favorites for a very simple reason - listening to their music makes me happy, even when the songs are kind of dreamy and sad. In fact, I think that they are rather genius at crafting songs that can make you feel at once nostalgic and glad about it.

Anybody got a Caribbean island they could loan me? Even for a week?

Dear Republicans/Tea Party/salt of the earth/people of the land/morons -

The people that you just voted back in to office are the same people who were IN CHARGE when the economy tanked two years ago. And they had been for at least eight years.

The people you just voted out of office are the people who apparently didn't fix the mess that the other guys left behind fast enough for you.

So, thanks for nothing, goldfish brains.

Sincerely,
Me

PS - I would like to actually thank mckitterick for the link to What the fuck has Obama done so far?. Check it out. It has provided me with a small band-aid for the sucking chest wound created by the words "Governor-Elect Sam Brownback".

4 years married today!

13 years as a couple.

19 years as friends.

Happy Anniversary, Gareth!

Love you!

A crazy person screaming in a forest is not necessarily a guarantee of trees.

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I day dream about this sort of thing a lot, so I have several favorite styles. If money were no object, I would probably have four or five homes. None of them would be the house we're in now.

I'd start with one of the big Victorian homes in my hometown, probably in the "Old West" neighborhood, or perhaps something in one of the older campus neighborhoods. Decorated in keeping with the time period of the house, though I would definitely make a few concessions towards more relaxing furniture. Since money is no object for this excercise, I might also take a page from the NYPL and have a modern basement installed under the back yard/garden. Just 'cause.

The next one would be either a brownstone or converted warehouse space in NYC. I like an equal number of different things about both styles, so my imagination refuses to pick one. Whichever one I chose though, I would decorate it comfortably. Someplace where we could invite people over if we felt like it, but that wouldn't need a staff of 20 for upkeep if we wanted to spend all of our time out in the city. And no modern lines for this decorator. Clean, modern spaces always make me feel like I would hurt myself if I fell down in one. Also, that if I have a glass-topped coffee table, eventually a serial killer is going to show up and get thrown into it - and really, who needs that hanging over their head?

The other three, or four homes would all be pretty much the same. Smallish, simple spaces with just a few rooms and huge porch/patio/deck areas overlooking the sea. All of them decorated with locally-produced furnishings, found objects and thrift store purchases. Places where we could show up with a few clothes and a suitcase of books and relax on the water all day before retreating into the house for the night. The only reason that I joke about having more than one is that I keep changing where I want it to be. Long Island? Hawaii? Coastal Scotland? Greek Isles? The Caribbean? Hash boat in Kerala, India? Too many choices! I know it sounds like we should just travel, but I really like the idea that if I forget and leave the book I'm reading on a chair, it will be there waiting for me when I come back. Also, of being able to say "Here, you look stressed. Please, take the beach house in "X" for a month" to family and friends. :)

So that's that.

Be seeing you. Probably with a GenCon report.

Took Electric Boogaloo to Worlds of Fun on Friday. gmskarka was out of town visiting family, so we decided to bond by indulging in our shared love of things that go ZOOM! and hit the park.

EB had never been, and I haven't gone since college, so it was a fairly novel experience for us both. There is only one major roller coaster left from my last visit, The Timberwolf, which was just as bone-shaking as I remembered it. (We sang "Jump In The Line (Shake, Senora)" as we tottered off the coaster - yes, it was totally necessary.)

Other highlights:
The Patriot, an awesome coaster where the car hangs underneath the rails, so you ride with your feet dangling out the bottom. We sat in the front of the car every time we rode this one, so it felt like there was nothing between us and the open sky. Feet! Clouds! Ahhhhhh!!

The Prowler - another wooden coaster - more traditional seating, but a great track (far less shaking going on). We only rode it about four or five times. I just felt sorry for the operators, who have a litany of silly dialogue to run through every time a run begins or ends, including a cheesy ROAR at the end of the speech. Since we came back at different times, we heard several versions, including one female operator who replaced the ROAR with MEW! My favorite response to "How was your ride?" was definitely when our entire train "mewed" back at her.

EB "winning" a giant, red, stuffed transformer-looking robot (seriously, it's like almost as tall as she is) through both actually trying the game and the power of flirting with the kid running the bottle-ring-toss. I fear for the robot's life, as she has taken him over to a friend's house to be used in an album-cover photo shoot. I am not quite as worried about the carny...

Indulging in high goofiness all day with EB. Hooray family fun-time!


Mom-notes (to self, mostly):
If we ever go again in nice weather, remember to pack a picnic lunch. One, it makes a nice break from being on the park tarmac, two, park food is ridiculously pricey, and three, I like picnics. Also, next time? Bring more cash. Because its a theme park. 'nough said. Ouch.


Nostalgia:
I felt a bit disoriented when we got there, as if the park geography was "off" from the last time I visited, but it turns out that they have, in fact, closed the main entrance and turned the back gate into the front gate. So there, memory loss! Nyah! (Also, if I ever knew this I had forgotten, but the "Worlds" theme is taken from "Around the World in Eighty Days", which is kinda cool.)

I'm glad that they have left Europa mostly alone. I know the rides there are tame, but I still love them as much as I did when I was small and they were new. If I was allowed to pack a lunch and bring a book, I could spend hours just hanging out on the Flying Dutchman, letting the world spin by.

EB was very nice, and hung out while I indulged my nostalgia kick, even though she is not as big a fan of spinny-rides as I am (and therefore skipped the Octopus), she did indulge me by driving on Le Taxitour, and taking a late-night train ride at the end of the day.

Yes, we spent about ten hours there. Yes, I'd do it again. Not soon, mind you. Because I was wiped out the next day. But definitely again. :)