You know how sometimes people on your friends list post about stuff going on in their lives, and all of a sudden, you think, "Wait a minute? Since when are they working THERE?" And then you wonder how you could have missed all that seemingly pretty standard information, but somehow you feel too ashamed to ask for clarification because it seems like info you should already know. It happens to all of us sometimes.

Post my list of items in your journal with your own answers and elaborate where necessary.

1. First Name: Lara (legally Laura)

2. Age: 42

3. Location: Lawrence, KS

4. Occupation: Legal secretary/legal assistant/bookkeeper/office manager/personal assistant/do everything gal

5. Partner?: no

6. Kids: sadly no

7. Brothers/Sisters: 1 brother four years younger who is the big success in the family. He lives outside of Chicago with his high school sweetheart wife and one son who used to be referred to around here as Baby A but he's now nearly 7, the joy of my life.

8. Pets: Raine, a tiny part Maine Coon cat who is eightish and Elektra, a small but powerful black kitty who is six.

9. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life:

1) church activities
2) intensive cleaning of the house
3) writing--or attempting to write as the muse is being a bitca
4) getting rid of stuff on eBay
5) trying to catch up on comic book reading and tv watching

10. Parents?: Yes, I have them. High school sweethearts (it's a thing in my family) who have been married for forty five years. Dad's a professor of modern American history, specializing in WWII and foreign policy (both of which bore me to tears) and mom is a caterer/retiree/volunteer. They live outside of town on five acres with a pond. I live in the house I grew up in, bought from them six years ago.

11. Who are some of your closest friends? The Hos, LeeAnn (even though I see her about once every four years), some local people.

Not a surprise.

I'd be more excited about the Lost season finale if I had watched the last two eps. *sigh* I'm so behind. And summer programming is about to launch!

Yesterday I watched three Top Chefs, leaving me only two behind. I did finally watch all of Life on Mars 2 (bwhuh?) and am saving Ashes to Ashes for the boss' next trip. I have at least three Smallvilles to watch. I just can't get motivated without my favorite character. *sigh*

I started catsitting today, auctioned off at the church auction. Nice cats, ignored the food. Mine go zooming to the kitchen as soon as I come home. *g*

The people I'm sitting for live in a ritzy neighborhood in a probably $500K house (high end around here) and they don't lock their deadbolt. Me, I lock all my doors (and my deadbolt on my steel front and back doors) when I'm HOME.

People are weird.

Plus, I'm a slob. I live in mess and clutter, but when I have someone coming over (besides my parents) I clean till my fingers hurt. Apparently this is not the norm.

I watched half the last Dr. Who at work but boss kept hanging around. I'll watch the rest tomorrow when he's at lunch. I did walk over to the comic store over lunch and picked up what I assume is the last Astonishing Xmen? I'm so far behind on reading Marvel. I got Final Crisis 1, too. We'll see... Plus, Tim has an owie. I like this walking over there thing. It's about a block from work.

It's finally warm here. I may have to turn on the AC.

More and more garage sales seem to be on Fridays as well as Saturdays. This irks me because I work and can only hit about three or four before work, and mostly irks me because by Saturday they're so picked over it's not worth going to them. It never fails the ones that advertise the coolest shit don't open until 8:00 on Friday and you know all that cool shit will be gone within an hour when I'll be at work. :(

This Sunday I think we're going to see Indiana Jones and then I'm going to suggest going to look at cars (since everything but Ford is out by the cinema) with no one to hassle me. Why are car places the only places (besides Hobby Lobby, but that's for religious reasons) not open on a Sunday?! I really need to get a car next week. I mean, really. My lease expires on June 11.

This post is all over the place.

I really want to write but I'm stuck on too many things I need to write and so nothing is getting written. *sigh* I have a wonderful Narcissa/Remus scene in my head and it's just sitting there. I want to write the AU post season 2 Robin Hood fic that I have half written in my brain, but I can't seem to get started. It's damn frustrating.

Gas is at $3.89 here. It wasn't that long ago that I could get two gallons for $5.00. That barely gets me one gallon which gets me nowhere. *grumble*

I need to rehearse my solo for Sunday. I really need to find a couple of readers. Dad is talking about the spiritual journey of Henry Wallace. He keeps joking that because there's no Program following the Service he can just go on for 45 minutes, right? This is why the biography he's been writing my entire life isn't done. Too much stuff!

Anyone who knows who Henry Wallace is wins a cookie.

The world would be a very different place if he hadn't been "canned".

I need to move comic book boxes to the not-basement but lower level. I discovered that new comics weigh a hell of a lot more than old. It's that damn slicky paper. I carried half a dozen boxes of old comics up from the basement, one after the other, no problem. Carrying one box of new ones nearly breaks my hands.

My mom's mystery collection is selling extremely well on eBay. Maybe I can afford gas after all this month.

This weekend we tackle the linen and coat closets and clean blinds and the ceiling fan. Fun stuff, man. I'm still avoiding the basement. With all the rain earlier this week it's very moldy. Hopefully it'll dry out over the next week with no rain (fingers crossed).

I need to comb Raine desperately. She's covered in knots. She hates the comb. I spent like $9 on the damn thing. She's getting combed.

I really like my new dishes. I had Blue Willow for over a decade and I'm just tired of them plus they don't go with my modern house.

Well, this has been pointless. Time to go watch another Top Chef and eat dinner.

Boss is gone, after only being here about ninety minutes! Yay! I'm going to be naughty and watch a Gossip Girl episode and write more of the next Lilith/Severus fic (which is up to about six pages so far and dark and dismal, just like I like it). I also have a glimmering Robin Hood AU after Season 2 fic squirming in my head.

I'm nearly done with the third Gossip Girl book and I must say I prefer the characters on the show. They're shallow enough there, but, my god, in the books they're pathetic!

Today I get to leave an hour early for my monthly pedicure. I actually got up early and shaved my legs and went to the post office and was still on time to work. Well, I was a minute late because I had to drive around the block because they blocked off the ten hundred block of my work street due to tonight's stupid Wilco in the vacant lot concert. Why they need at least twelve hours of blocked off street I don't know.

Tonight is choir practice for the Rev. Sinkford visit this Sunday (it's not GNO, right gals? Buehler? Anyone?) and I haven't even looked at the music since last week. Neither has the other alto, which I know because we were at a building committee meeting last night where I reigned supreme on paint and counter top colors. We have nearly black floors, pale blue to nearly white interior walls, yellowish wood cabinets and stainless appliances and you want cream colored counter tops?!

I chose a blue/gray marble swirly stuff. The men didn't care, and the women all agreed with me. :) I also talked them out of eventually painting our old building this pale green and putting that on part of the new building and using the much darker, mossy green for the old building. Really, you don't want a nearly hundred year old building painted pale green standing on the roadway as the first thing anyone sees.

I also managed to get volunteered to lead the Library Committee next year. *sigh* Just as I was getting out of being head of the Spiritual Celebration Committee. And I'm the new archivist as we voted out the Archive Committee and voted in an appointed position.

My life is beginning to revolve around church. For someone who probably doesn't believe in God, this is truly weird.

Reactions to various TV stuff:

Looking forward greatly to Supernatural's finale.

Behind on Smallville and probably won't watch it next year with it basically becoming Lois and Clark the younger years. They are so not the reason I watch.

Lost continues to intrigue but I try not to think about it too much because it hurts my brain.

Survivor was an excellent season but the winner baffles.

I'm disappointed about the non-renewal of New Amsterdam and Moonlight but ecstatic of the renewals of Eli Stone, Reaper (though only mid-season and thirteen eps) and Terminator.

In a truly odd brain glitch, my mom convinced herself that the second season of Robin Hood was only four episodes long because there isn't an episode next Saturday (Memorial Day weekend). I know British telly shows have smaller seasons but that's just silly, mom. Plus, I've seen all the eps but 4 and 9, including the finale which is episode 13. *g*

Which I'm in huge denial over, by the way.

Kind of like I'm in huge denial over Lionel on Smallville.

Comic book day, yay! Batman RIP starts and Titans 2 is out!

(Got interrupted by someone looking for the company that was here for decades but moved over a year ago...)

Lots of books for sale at ladyoneill on eBay.

In happy news, my mortgage is going down about $26 a month next year because my taxes aren't going up and the projected escrow is less. Considering it's up $70 from where I got it lowered to about three years ago, this is good news, though any savings will go into my gas tank. :P

Back to tv, the Bones and House pre-finales both rocked.

I don't even like Iron Man as a character but I want to see the movie. It's supposed to be really good. I think dad and are going to go see it the weekend Indiana Jones comes out because everyone will be going to that. I haven't been to a movie since Christmas!

Well, I've rambled and bored you enough...

*sigh*

Well, I'd hoped that since I napped some last night I'd be awake all day today.

Three and a half hour nap later....

Another wasted Sunday afternoon.

*sigh*

And I'm so sore. Between working out Friday night and really swinging my arms with the weights as I walked and then raking out another damn bush (why my father decided these low, ground hugging multi-limb things were going to be neat, I have no clue---all they do is get jam packed with leaves) my arms and shoulders are stiff. It's good, I guess, tightening the muscles.

Whatever. I'm obviously grumpy what with getting no writing done for another weekend.

I'm also majorly behind on tv, but I did watch the new Robin Hood. Damn I love that evil Sir Guy.

Yesterday's freezing cold again garage saling was cut short by a church Budget meeting, which actually went well and quickly. We were done in under two hours; unheard of! I actually voted 'no' on something. I never vote 'no'. I tend to just go with the majority because I'm a sheep (also the majority's almost always right), but it was a vote to actually raise the budget fundraising income rather than cut something (we started with about $6000 less in projected income than expenses and we do not like unbalanced budgets) and, while I'd hope that we'd get more income from various sources--new members, higher rents for the new building, interest on a CD--I didn't want to hedge it on that. Even though that passed, we then voted to change it to cut another $1000 from somewhere else and raise income only $1400, and that I could vote for.

Whee, look at me being all fiscal and democratic.

Then mom came over and we watched Anne Boleyn birth Elizabeth, got most of the one room clean and organized and all the books out for book month next month on eBay, then I went outside and raked for ninety minutes.

Today was church, watching CSI from last Thursday and the aforementioned napping to the tune of the NFL Draft.

Lovely.

*grumps*

Hm, apparently we did feel the earthquake. I wake up several times during the night so I may have felt it and not realized it.

My aunt and family in New Harmony, Indiana are fine. The dogs freaked out and cowered on the bed with my aunt, and one curtain rod fell off the wall, but that was it. I assume the rest of the cousins in southern Indiana are fine as well as the aunt would have told mom if she'd heard otherwise since they're her kids and grandkids.

In other news, I watched Smallville.

*sigh*

I have thoughts. If my boss leaves early I shall attempt to compose them.

I also have fic ideas. No clue when I'll find any time to write anything.

Tonight I'm helping mom put together the exercise bike that's been sitting in pieces for nearly a year. She can't get on the floor and dad just doesn't do this kind of thing and it's driving me nuts that mom wants to use a bike for exercise and it's just not getting put together. I told her I wasn't putting the stool together that's been sitting in pieces in the garage for three years because that looked more complicated. I suck at doing this but I figure she can read the instructions and tell me what to do because she's really good at doing this, and even I can use an electric screwdriver.

Then maybe I'll catch up on BSG for this year.

Hopefully the rain will stop overnight and I can go garage saling in the morning and then work outside some in the afternoon, though it may still be too wet to rake. I can at least trim bushes, which reminds me, borrow clippers from dad. Someday I shall become a grown up and own my own tools. I do have a rake and snow shovel. Go me!

Things seen around town and at home...

I really don't want to know why the court house elevator smelled like lysol.

I'm really tired of it being colder when I leave work than when I get there.

Someone friended me and now they're suspended. Correlation? *g*

I had planned to listen to the first Royals game but then got too busy and forgot. Thanks to nursedarry I know we won. Probably the only winning record we'll have all year.

I'm reading 1634: The Bavarian Crisis. I didn't even know it existed, but there it was, in my huge pile of books to be read. I was actually looking for 1635: Cannon Law (and, yes, that's spelled right) which must be in the messy guest room.

TV's back which means I actually need to look at the tv guide listings.

I caught up on Torchwood. Spike, Spike, Spike John, John, John. *sigh*

New Amsterdam tonight, yay!

Tomorrow, back on the diet big time and a month of clothes to sell on eBay. May is book month. ladyoneill, if anyone's interested.

This Saturday, first garage sale foray!

Finished Batman: The Animated Series (or whatever it became). Got confused. Was sure I read somewhere that a relationship began or almost began between Barbara and Bruce. Didn't. Maybe I'm confusing fanon. Wouldn't be the first time.

I really thought I had more to say here.

My six year old nephew made me feel ancient last night (actually, his mother did). Apparently not knowing what the heck a Webkinz is is like the end of the world. *g*

I'm just amazed by my little genius boy, typing out words on the keyboard. I could read at four but his knowledge and retention ability is extraordinary. Of course, that may be the proud aunt talking. He remembers everything--gets that from me. :)

Today he and dad and grandpa apparently burned the trash wood pile. They managed not to catch the house on fire. Sometime this summer they're going to build a treehouse.

Rather, they're going to hire someone to build the treehouse and "help" because my brother isn't much more handy than my dad who isn't at all.

I had a nice chat with my sister-in-law about all kinds of issues, and then my brother tried to explain why I'm getting a healthy refund from the tax man and how I can change my withholding or something so that they don't take as much. Apparently one can have more deductions than the one for single person. Who knew. I just followed the rules and checked "one". *g* He also tried to explain about lease ends on cars and how I shouldn't have to put a downpayment on a new one even though I always have before, but that pretty much went over my head. He's going to look into current incentives since he's sort of in the auto industry. I think I can say that much without it being insider trading or something.

I went to the taxman yesterday and it took all of twenty minutes. It would have taken fifteen if I hadn't forgotten that my mortgage was sold last year so I'd have two statements and I only brought one so he had to call to get my taxes and interest. Still, no way I could have done my taxes myself--I can do the EZ form but once you own a home you're past that, and I'd never have guessed you can deduct mileage if you're on a church or charity board--so it was worth the $140.00. I debated using my refund to pay towards my various church pledges but then I decided to put it all towards my way-too-high credit card bill, bring that down, and pay more a month on the pledges because the pledges aren't earning interest.

Due to my really late numbered SS# I won't get my economy incentive refund until July--if I get it at all, not counting on it till I see it--and I'll put that on the credit card bill, too. My accountant said that only one person he's talked to this year said they were going to spend the money on new stuff. Everyone else was using it to pay bills. So, good going government. Also, every notice they send out (and I got the "explanation" one two days ago, then there'll be the one letting you know when your check is coming, then the actual check) costs $42 million.

JUST SEND ME THE BLESSED CHECK AND SAVE $84 MILLION!

Stupid government.

I'm currently listening to AOL radio online. Anyone have a better option? I hate AOL almost as much as I hate Microsoft products. I'm still having buffering problems so I'm guessing it's our lousy network that screwed up the tv game watching last week and not CBS. Dunno why I had no problems with ESPN the week before. Maybe I'm getting atmospheric interference or something since it's overcast today.

Well, lots to do here at work. Enough babbling from me for now.

I have some weird shit on tape.

Why do I have episodes of Cybil?

I know why I have episodes of Swamp Thing and this is very sad.

I actually have Tommy on taope somewhere but because I'm too lazy to find it I'm faux!tivoing it tomorrow.

I did manage to find the tape that has the first Methos episode on it so will watch that in a bit. Now if I can find the one with the Horsemen two parter I'll be a happy camper because Methos and Cassandra sizzle and forced enslavement is one of my kinks.

(If you didn't know the latter...where you been? *g*)

The quality of these tapes suck. I should see about getting the Highlander eps on dvd but I'm poor. *sigh*

I also have the final episode of Santa Barbara (and about fifty tapes of favorite moments of Santa Barbara because I'm lame). I miss that Soap.

And my tapes are very dusty.

In good news my itching is much better. My hands and feet are hardly itching at all and those were the worst. I actually slept pretty well last night for the first time in three days and then slept for hours on the couch this morning. Apparently there was no Batman episode? I did wake up in time to watch KU win and Duke lose (in different games). Happiness.

My parents are in Chicago visiting the brother et al and somehow mom managed to talk me into feeding her critters tomorrow. She feeds them every day--like half a dozen bird feeders, suet, squirrel food, deer food. I think my dad figures he can't complain and has to pay for it because he's spent thousands on wine over the last twenty years. *g* Anyway, I kept saying I wasn't going to feed them while they were in Chicago and then last minute before they left mom called to ask me to fill the feeder for the cardinals and throw out a block of deer food, so I gotta remember to put my tennies in the car since I'm going straight from church and don't want to slog through the mud in my heels.

I'm such a softie.

Well, we're singing Turn Turn Turn tomorrow at church and I really should learn the alto line (even though it's the melody through half the song, thankfully) so better stop babbling...again.

Every inch of my skin itches! Gah, it's so annoying.

It started earlier today with my fingers--and I often have itchy fingers. Now it's spread everywhere. No hives or discoloration or anything, no flaky dry skin, just itching!

And, no, I haven't switched anything--detergent, soap, deoderant, perfume, new clothes, nothing.

All I can guess is that since it's actually warm outside, Spring thinks it's arrived and with it my allergies, and I breathed in some pollen or something. Instead of making me stuffed up, it's making me itch.

At least I didn't have a fever at board meeting tonight--first meeting at church in months I haven't gotten sick at.

Sick again. *sigh*

I had a fever of 100.8 last night during a church meeting (I keep getting sick at these church meetings--I think someone is trying to tell me something) and then I had the horrible chills all night--so cold I couldn't get up to get a sweater or anything, so I slept horribly. This morning the fever was still 100.8 but nothing was going to stop me from getting my hair cut.

Color, of course, was vital due to Rogue streak, but the perm of 28 years was finally gone so I had her cut it. It's barely shoulder length and angled into my face and really kind of cute. I haven't had this short of hair since the all-over curly perm of senior year in high school.

During a stint under the dryer my fever broke so I actually felt okay at work, though very tired. I left about 45 minutes early because I could feel the chills returning.

The fever's come and gone tonight.

I did actually call the doctor today. Naturally, she wasn't in and no one has called me back. Tomorrow's the day before Boss leaves on a ten day vacation so I really can't take any time off, but if I have to I'll justs shut down the office on Friday to go to the doctor. I have to get some antibiotics. I'm sure this is a sinus infection and I'm just not able to beat it. I haven't been totally well since around Christmas (though mostly the fever is much lower and I'm just congested).

In between the fevers and chills last night I watched parts of this really bad road race movie called "Cannonball". I think it was a precursor to and more gruesome version of the fun "Cannonball Run". Had a lot of recognizable B actors, was produced by the Eating Raoul people, and starred Kung Fu guy.

Tonight I'm just really tired. I was too tired to even read very much or concentrate on basketball. Now I'm a bit more awake and need to put up double the number of eBay items since I dozed through last night's usual time to do it.

So, better get to it.

Also, Nightwing is made of win and I just want to kiss Tim to pieces. Or have Dick do it.

Also, enjoyed that Amsterdam show.

Feverish all yesterday which made me hot all night so even though I feel better now I'm skipping church. Plus it snowed another freakin' inch at some point and that just depresses the hell out of me. Anyway, since all I did yesterday between napping was read Stephanie Plum books 3 & 4 and watch basketball (Oklahoma State? We lost to freakin' Oklahoma State?! But, oh so glad Memphis finally lost, can't stand undefeated teams unless it's ours.) I'm going to try to write something today.

I may end up sleeping the day away again, so be forewarned.

Also, getting another Batman cartoon dvd when mom swings by after church, so will be watching that.

I also need to hunt down the hopefully dead mouse the girls chased all over the dining room last night (which meant I couldn't check my email because, eek, mouse).

Such a joyous life I lead.

Happy Valentine's Day to those who celebrate and Happy tomorrow is Friday to those who don't.

I got a hat.

Dad actually remembered to get mom a card.

B's boyfriend called her to tell her he was at a jewelry store and to ask her what those rings she likes for engagement rings look like.

*rolls eyes*

We have decided that the vast majority of men don't think before they leap. This is why they want to barbecue outside when it's snowing and think it's okay to move the grill into the garage. lolol

We'll see if he actually asks her to marry him.

Me, I'm going to wait for the fever to come back (I had a small one this morning but felt fine otherwise) and watch oodles of tv (why is there hardly anything on all week and then five hours tonight????)

Thank you sweet_ali for the LJ giftie! And thank you paperkingdoms's kitty for sending my kitties Valentine's Day cards!

God, it's cold.

/scintilating post

All alone at work today. Got a lot done. It was peaceful, except I had to answer the phone which rang a lot.

Pedicure was postponed because she has the flu in her eyes and couldn't get her contacts in. So I'm not the only one with weird ass illness.

Speaking of...

Guess what came back tonight?

*sigh*

I don't know what the temperature was because I was at a board meeting when it hit around 7:45. At break, 8:45, my face was bright red and mom said I had a fever when she felt my forehead (yes you can be forty two and still want your mom to feel your forehead). By 10:00 I could feel it had faded and I felt better. Never was particuarly cold or hot and no aches. Just a fever and that tired feeling that comes with it. I don't know what the hell this is. It's now 99 and I feel pretty good, just a tiny bit flushed. I can't tell if I'm just cold because it's cold or if it's the chills.

If this lasts through the weekend I'll call the doctor on Monday and hope she's working when I'm not. I actually have health insurance now, whoooooo!

Oh, and I felt fine all day except for being a bit more congested than normal. Didn't even have a headache.

I have no clue.

I liked BC/GA. It was sweet.

Will read others later but I have two BtAS dvds to watch and Project Runway and the latest Stephanie Plum book (it's a novella) to read.

And mom got me the darlingest hat for Valentine's day from Prairie Pond downtown. It's a cloche in red and black stripes. I had it on my Christmas list and she remembered.

Best mommy ever.

Even if she did threaten to quit as UFL chair before the meeting even started because of a simple error that one guy kept harping on her about. Mom's pretty much perfect except for her Irish temper. *sigh*

Oh, and it's going to snow tomorrow night and be eight degrees. I'm so over this winter.

Well, I felt okay most of the day--a bit run down and it was damn cold in my office so I took off an hour early. No fever, and I took my temperature several times during the day.

Tonight.

Fever.

What kind of weird ass bug hits in the evenings only?!

I swear, if it's a weird ass virus, I'll get it.

And KU lost.

I'm going to go watch Mummy 2 and pout and shiver (or be hot, which is what I am now, which is kind of nice since it's like 10 degrees out and 65 inside).

Thanks for all the sympathy. ::Hugs:: And the feedback. ::Hugs::

Geeeeez! I can't believe I've got the damn flu again! I slept half the day, am achy, have a fever. I've never been sick this many times in a winter in my life. Usually I have one bad cold or flu and that's it! I can't take off tomorrow. I've missed so much work and we had a snow day last week and half the Mondays the receptionist is out for various reasons and the office crashes to a halt if one of us isn't there.

Plus there's a chance for winterymix/freezing drizzle crap tonight through tomorrow.

Just lovely.

And after a wonderful service at church where my solo was very well received and I got lots of compliments on my voice.

I didn't even have the energy to edit all the drabbles I wrote yesterday. *sigh*

I did watch the first LOST, several cartoons, and the two Eli Stones (love this show!). I think I'll go curl up in bed and watch the second half of The Mummy which I started last night and hope I'm well tomorrow (which I might very well be as I have the stupidest illnesses ever).

Oh good, temperature is down from 100.4 to 99.6. The chills have gone to the hot flashes.

Joy.

Plus, I wasted an hour watching Clemson throw away their chance to beat Carolina on their home floor for the first time since 1926.

Life sucks.

OUCH

My back is seriously twinged (it's muscular, thankfully, but still hurts). Sitting is okay. Standing is okay. It's the getting from one to the other and walking that hurts. And it's making my hip and butt hurt, too.

So, I'm sitting on the heating pad right now (bliss) and not going to women's group (sadness). We tend to sit on the floor and bend over a lot and dance around and stand and sway and my body just isn't going to allow that.

Stupid snow.

Stupid shoveling of stupid snow.

Indie was right--should have just glared at it with my heat vision...

And, of course, this time they plowed my street, which meant piling two feet of snow at the end of my driveway.

Today was busy at work since I blew off yesterday. Friday is always busy.

But, I got a bit of writing done on the unnamed OFC stories and should get more written tonight despite the five hours of tv. I swear, hardly any tv the rest of the week!

I watched the Duke/NC game last night. Had to root for Duke, despite despising both teams. Actually, I think both teams are flawed enough we could beat them if we don't play flawed. We have to stop the dribble pentration, though. That's killing us.

Nightwing was seriously lovely--I'm really loving the new writer. Though I would have liked the Supes appearance to deal with the last time those two got together. Maybe they made up off screen. The Dick/Bruce relationship is just so REAL. And Tim will be back soon. :)

As for Buffy...you can always tell when Joss writes something. God I miss his writing. The man has a brilliant way with words.

My brother and his family were supposed to leave for the Cayman Islands today but I kind of doubt they made it out of Chicago, if he even made it back there yesterday from Philly. I guess we got lucky with our six inches of snow.

Stupid weather.

Wish Huckabee had been the Republican to drop out.

If you can stand Robin Williams (which I can, GARP being one of my all time favorite movies) I highly recommend Man of the People, especially in the political season and if you're liberal, even though he plays an independent. He's the kind of candidate that makes you want the government to work, makes you believe your vote counts, etc.

Weirdness at work: first time I've dismissed a petition because the defendant died. As the clerk said, 'yeah, doubt he'll show up to file an answer tomorrow', which was kind of morbid, but true. When I called our client to ask how they wanted us to proceed, she seemed surprised I knew about the death.

Um...it was in the newspaper?

But then B and I talked about it and we think a lot of people don't actually read the newspaper or watch the news. I admit I rarely do the latter because that would take up valuable LJ or tv watching time but I do read the newspaper. My family always got the newspaper. Do people not do that anymore? I was pleased that B, at 21, does read the paper daily. Hope for the youth of America yet.

Though her boyfriend, at 29, doesn't and isn't registered to vote.

And that's enough rambling for me...

At around five till six this morning I was awakened by the freakiest noise. It lasted for about five minutes then faded away. It wasn't a dream, because Elektra, who was sleeping on me, freaked out.

It sounded like the loud cooing of doves mixed with laughing monkeys.

I'm serious.

I have no idea what the fuck it was! lolol Mom said it might be a flock of some weirdass birds in the tree outside my window. I thought may be some kind of owl or bats or hell, I don't know. What noise does a possum make?

I was a bit concerned it was coming from the attic, but the door to the closet that leads to the attic (the panel of which isn't completely closed) was closed and the noise was too loud to carry through two closed doors and across the hall.

Chalk up one more weird thing about owning your own home.

KU won yesterday, somewhat redeeming themselves. Unfortunately Memphis won, too, so they're still unbeaten and likely to remain so. Unless it's my team I just don't like unbeaten teams because it's no fun when someone runs the table. Unless, of course, it's my team. (I have a framed poster of the covers of the paper for each win when KU went 16-0 in the Big 12 several years back.)

Never claimed not to be a hypocrite. *g*

Church was okay this morning. In our choir piece I went from the soprano/alto unison to singing the tenor with our sole new tenor to alto when we broke into four parts. That was fun. See, I made the mistake of singing a solo last November and now the choir director looks to me all the time. And I have a two octave range from D above middle C to D below.

Next week I'm singing a solo again (why do I volunteer for these things?!). It's a song I've never heard of, but it's very easy, and next week's pianist is the same one I had for when I sang O Come, O Come Emmanuel and she can transpose on the fly and will be able to bring it down from a E to a B because that E is held at the end for two measures and there's absolutely no way. I struggle to hit it to begin with, but to hold it, especially in the morning when my voice is rougher, no way. It's called "If We Only Have Love" from Jacques Brel Is Alive And Living In Paris (movie? musical?) I'm hoping they have a version on iTunes, though, again, it's not hard, just grows from a middle to C to the E two above.

Now I'm back to writing. It's just flowing and flowing. Hopefully I'll move on to more important stuff later today. I have no interest in the SuperBowl outside of knowing when it's over so I can watch House.

First, ( my personal dna mapCollapse )

Well, the big winter storm that was supposed to deliver 5-7 inches of snow today...didn't.

It fizzled big time. It started snowing around 8:15 this morning, leaving a light dusting that melted by mid-morning when the sun came out, then every time we looked at the radar map the big snow coming from the south dissipated by the time it hit us. Now it's flurrying but I doubt it'll do more than leave a light dusting again.

Stupid weather. There's no point in that but to make it annoying.

Am a bit baffled by this week's Batman. ( puzzlementCollapse )

The less said about last night's debacle, the better, except that 1) the refereeing sucked and 2) you'd have thought KSU won the national championship with the whole crowd storming the court.

Oh well, I'll give them a win at home once every twenty-five years. *snerk*

And maybe it'll be a wake-up call for us to send the guards driving into the lane rather than try to pass the ball to our big men who can't rebound half the time. In the last three minutes, the guards were fouled several times on their drives, but we waited until then to do it!

Another annoyance is after having all of one hour of tv this week (wonderful House) I have four tonight! (giving that Eli Stone a try because 1) there's nothing on and 2) I like Jonny Lee Miller).

A not annoyance is that I'm writing at last. Nothing anyone will want to read but hopefully getting it out of my mind will free the block.

Well, I decided to stay home just to make sure I don't relapse and because I wasted my three day weekend being sick and reading comic books.

So...a meme (while I go searching for my damn muse).

Step 1. Put your playlist on random.
Step 2. Post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing. (You can skip songs that are instrumental.)
Step 3. Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly.
No Googling! That's what they call cheating, mes amis.

(added by me: I cheated a bit by not including the couple Christmas songs that popped up, also, it's not fair when the title is the first line, so I skipped one of those, too!)

( haven't done this one in a whileCollapse )

Apparently today is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year

Well, I have the day off, my flu seems to have been the 24 hour variety, the temperature is nearly 40 for the first time in several days getting over freezing, my hot water still works and no pipes burst, and I just watched Tin Man and enjoyed it.

So, not so depressing.

And, since I still consider myself "sick" and therefore not on my diet, I'm going to get a couple tacos from Taco Johns for lunch.

:)

Hope everyone else is having a good day!

I'm now thinking the flu over a cold because outside of being a little more stuffy than I normally am with my allergies, I don't have cold symptoms. I'm achy, hot/cold, feverish (still over 100 :P) and have a headache.

Lovely.

So I'm cheating on my diet with Stauffers mac & cheese and saltines and cookies & cream icecream.

Good news: water came back on within an hour of having the closet door mostly closed with the heater inside! Yay!

Not that I'm going to do dishes.

I just wish I didn't have this headache because it's driving the damn muse away. I guess I'll edit the stuff I wrote yesterday and try to get it up here.

Or maybe I'll just read the rest of Knightfall (which I've had for a while but haven't read because I don't like the old-fashioned art and man where the hell is Dick???, but I'm enjoying the story which seems to be the start of the much darker Bat stories of the 90s/00s) and watch the football game.

Okay, the recurring minor cold finally hit the big time with chills, aches and fever since 10:00 last night. At 1:30 I woke up sweat soaked. At 5:30 the killer chills were back and the motrin I took that still, two hours later, leaves me with a fever of 100.2.

So not going to church. Luckily I have the script and all the readings here and mom will step in as I was doing half the program.

I still have no hot water. *sigh* I'm going to go close the heater into the closet where the pipes are at in the basement and see if that helps. I guess I'll wash dishes in the bathroom sink.

Off to take a shower because I feel disgusting.

At least I should get more writing done...unless I sleep all day.

Apparently it got to -5 degrees last night. That's fucking ridiculous. I do not live in the arctic!

So, naturally, my kitchen sink hot water pipe froze. No bursting so far, and the cold water works (which makes no sense). I had the cabinet propped open and the door to the basement closet with the pipes wide open and even ran my furnace at 65 rather than 63 overnight, knowing it was going to get really cold, but it still froze. Guess I should have dripped the water.

*grumble*

The kitchen sink gets little sun, as the neighbor's house is ten feet away and it's on the east side, and there's snow pack, and....

*grumble*

Have I mentioned how very much I hate winter?

I guess I'll sit on the floor and aim my blow dryer at the pipe for a while.

I also have the recurring cold. The damn thing just won't go away! I've had it off and on for two months. It never gets bad. It never moves even into my throat let alone my chest. I just have the stuffy head and sniffles! Yesterday I had a low grade sinus pressure headache from it, though I stayed at work since I had a lot to do, but I didn't go work at my parents'. I just froze my fingers and toes getting gas on the way to their house to pick up my groceries. And, yes, I was wearing gloves, socks and boots. Didn't help, due to dad's really sucky circulation that I inhererited.

Dad's nose is fine, well, the bits went off for testing and he'll know next week if it's cancer, but we're not concerned because he's had several before and they've never turned into anything major.

Lesson: don't get a sunburn!

I had one really bad sunburn in my life so I should be okay. My brother was just like my dad and burned all the time. We all have that pasty white skin so he's in danger, too. Luckily they slather up my nephew with high power sunscreen constantly and make him wear hats and sunglasses. They learned the lesson. (My sister-in-law had to put up with burned brother way too much over the years they dated before he bought a clue to let it happen to her kid).

Because I didn't work last night I was able to watch tv. I'm actually enjoying Moonlight more and more. The developing "mythology" is interesting, and I like the characters, especially Josef who's just Logan with fangs. I figured out the secret on Flash right away but it was still cheesy fun, and SGA was good--at least Sam was finally on again.

Today is basketball from morning to night. KU at MU tonight. We could lose, we often do lose there. Won't say anything more except that the Missouri state legislator who introduced a bill to make the Jayhawk the state game bird (therefore making it "huntable") is...well...you know he's insane, right? I mean, rivalry is one thing, but that's just stupid. Not as bad as those tshirts that came out before the football game saying that Quantrill did a good thing, but still stupid.

Our county's losing our newest district court judge, which means god knows when we'll get another one. He's become the new attorney general. Great prestige for Lawrence and everything, but...

There's just something wrong in the world when a goofball you knew in high school becomes your state's attorney general. lololol

( i'm a boozerCollapse )

Bitterly cold here. We got about four inches of snow last night. :P I'm so very, very over winter. Go away, now! It's supposed to be like 5 tonight and not reach the thirties until late next week.

Blech

Women's group was cancelled due to icy roads so I'm bundled in my pjs, my fingers almost too cold to type, drinking coffee because the cup is warm.

Oh, geez, forgot to find out my dad's surgery went today. He was having something removed from his nose (he has a lot of skin cancers and other weird things on his face from lots of burning as a kid and young man and way too pale Anglo-Saxon skin). They're probably in bed now at 9:54.

Three day weekend, thank god. I'm so wanting to hibernate. I have to spend half the day at church on Sunday due to the choir singing at the second service and then a committee chair roundtable until around 3:00 but then I have Monday off. I WILL fic this weekend. The muse is slowly dribbling back, the bitch.

I've been watching lots of cartoons as there's hardly anything on tv. Also enjoying DooL a lot at the moment due to ( spoilers and my own conjecture which is probably right for onceCollapse )

Also, watched Torchwood. Much, much love. ( spoilersCollapse )

My governor has been chosen to give the Democratic reponse to the State of the Union. This is not only great for Kansas, but for her political future. Hillary may be our first woman president but I would not be surprised if Kathleen makes it to that position, too, and will be more popular.

( Robin blatherCollapse )

Okay, that's enough random babbling. I need to go finish reading the latest Jude Devereux "Montgomery" novel and watch Ugly Betty.

The right side of my middle back has been twinging all day, making sitting uncomfortable (except at this computer chair as I have a lumbar pillow) and I finally tweaked onto why.

Yesterday I had an eye exam (first time in my life I didn't need a new prescription! I went in because my computer glasses were bothering me, thinking I needed new ones, but they were out of alignment) and I have a problem with things touching my eyes. I didn't have the horrible glaucoma test which practically traumatizes me (and luckily I've been going to the same guy for 34 years and he knows this) but instead he did extensive examination of the optic nerves. That means shining a bright light into my eyes while I fix them on a spot near the ceiling. I get a little freaked by things like this. The optic nerve exam, if there's nothing abnormal, means no traumatic glaucoma test, but it takes several minutes longer than it used to when it was cursory and then there was the horrible icky touching my eyeball test every single year since dad has glaucoma.

Anyway, he had trouble with my left eye, getting the light in the right place, due partly to me not opening wide enough, and I was desperately trying not to move away from the light and I think I strained my right side/back in the attempts not to freak totally and hyperventillate. (This pertains to my throat, too--I nearly strangled my doctor once when she tried to take a throat culture).

Only me...*sigh*

My boss was out most of the day and I had like three things to do plus taxes/payroll which takes all of five minutes, therefore I actually wrote fic at work (and finished Good Omens for the zillioneth time). At 4:25 one of our clients came in with about a dozen evictions.

Naturally. lolol

At least that means I have something to do tomorrow as it snows and before my pedicure at which I'll be wearing flip flops.

In the snow.

Stupid weather.

I've started watching Superman, the Animated Series (along with BtAS) and last night they had on the three part World's Finest which was my first sighting of the Batman from the later years of BtAS. Also, I couldn't believe Lois learned his secret after knowing Bruce for like three days. Hell, it took sixty years for comic book Selena to get the secret! lolol Anyway, really liked this three parter. I think it's the most interesting Lois I've seen or read. (Never been much of a fan).

Now I need to go watch the Sarah Conner Chronicles part 2. This show rocks!

Also, James Marsters' fans, pick up next week's tv guide!

Ten Things Everyone Here Should Know About Me (because sionnain said to write it and I am sheep, hear me baaa)

1. I'm older than most of you but I've always gotten along well with people of all ages, even though the trend of repeating trends annoys me. Really, no one needs big hair again. Or to wear orange and brown. Or metallics.

2. I'm a Kansan, born and bred and proud of it. I love the midwest. I will rhapsodize about the horizon and the sunsets and the relative cheapness of living here a lot. I'm not a hick, nor am I Dorothy. I live in the one truly liberal town in the entire state and we have culture, really! When you have one of the voices of the Beat Generation decide to live out his days here, you know you're not backwards.

3. I am a staunch liberal, probably a radical one, though I have some fiscal conservativeness in me. I don't talk politics around here very much, but I'm pro-choice, pro-woman, pro-gay marriage, anti-war, anti-religion in school, anti-big government, anti-our current government. I prefer government on the local level and am very proud of my little liberal town for being the first in Kansas to have a non-discrimination ordinance for gays, to ban smoking in public places, and to establish a domestic registry (since the stupid conservative State outlawed gay marriage).

4. I was raised a Unitarian Universalist. No, we're not a cult (the Unification Church) nor are we Unity (a liberal Christian church). Basically we believe anything we want to believe, and while there are some Christian UUs, most don't believe in the divinity of Christ, hence the "uni" instead of "trinity". This all fits in well with my growing attraction to paganism, women's spirituality, and worship of the goddess. I figure I'll always be a UU, regardless of whether or not I become a pagan priestess. In fact, if I didn't have to work, I'd probably go to seminary and become a UU minister. I do talk a lot here about my spiritual beliefs and my church since I'm overly involved in the latter.

5. I've always read comic books and my current great fandom love is DC, especially the Bat books. I adore Tim (Robin) the most. For years I was primarily an X-Men fan, but DC has eaten my brain over the last year thanks to discovering fanfic here on LJ which made me spend hundreds of dollars on trade paperbacks and back issues of such comics as Nightwing, Robin, and Birds of Prey.

6. This leads to number 6 which is, I write fanfic. I've been writing since I was thirteen and fanfic for ten years (OMG, I missed my tenth anniversary of publishing my first piece, January 5, 1998!) I started in the Buffy fandom when it was wee and personal and friendly, and while I still love Buffy, DC has replaced it as my primary fandom. I can honestly say if I hadn't found fanfic online, and gotten up the nerve to write my first one, I wouldn't be here boring you today. As for what I write--angst, darkness, evilness, with a smattering of silliness and smut. I write a lot of dark fic, and sometimes dark sexual fic. I put warnings on everything I post, so please read them. If it says "rape", it means rape. After being flamed for not warning once, I overly warn now.

7. I'm very close to my family. In fact, I live in the house I grew up in, having bought it from my parents five years ago to keep it in the family and because I love it. From my dad I get my love of history (he's a professor) and my mom and I spend a lot of time together, shopping, going to movies, travelling. I have one younger brother who lives in the Chicago area, and one adorable six year old nephew. My parents were high school sweethearts and my brother and his wife were highschool sweethearts. My highschool sweetheart returned to my life five years after highschool wanting to date but failing to inform me he was married with children, thus putting a kibosh on me following this trend. I'm happily single with cats, though I'd love to have children. Just don't want the pesky husband.

8. While I love to cook, only ever where skirts and dresses, and read romance novels, I'm not a girly girl. I love sports, action/adventure and horror movies, scifi books, classic rock music, and comic books. I don't like "chick flicks" or wearing makeup or care if I'm having a bad hair day. I love KU sports, and watch basketball and football all Saturday depending on the season. I love being a woman but often think I have a man's soul.

9. I'm over-educated, in that I do little with my education. I have a double major in Classical Antiquity with an emphasis in Latin and English History, plus a Masters of Library Science. I love history, especially English social history of the upper class. I also have a passion for architecture stemming from classical architecture courses and leading to a love for English country houses especially of the neo-classical period, especially Robert Adam. My dream is to see every English country house in existence.

10. I have mild, undiagosed OCD in that sometimes I have to finish what I've started. I can also sit really still for really long periods of time which leads to cramping. And there's the mild directional dyslexia in that I can say one direction and mean the other--it's a running joke in the family. I can be a social being when I need to be, but I love being alone. I could be alone for the rest of my life and be perfectly content. I was a strange, quiet kid, and I figure if they did the testing they do today I'd have been diagnosed with all kinds of personality disorders and put on drugs.

I still haven't written a word on any fics...Muse is DEAD. I sit here and stare at the computer, play computer games, search desperately for fic to read. My holiday ficlets are going to end up being Valentine's Day ficlets at this rate! I'm so sorry!!!

I would ask for prompts but I HAVE all these lovely prompts.

I suck.

:P

So, instead I'm rereading the Kim Harrison witch series. Into book four. Book six comes out next month. I'm also buying up and reading Hawkman/Hawkgirl and the 1999 version of JSA. I was never into the Golden Age of comics so I have no idea where my sudden interest in JSA is coming from. I have the new series and I like that, but it's not like the JLA characters who I grew up loving--Bats, WW, Wally, Roy etc.

I really need to dedecorate my house. It's 12th Night, probably a good time to do it.

Mom and I are going to see Sweeny Todd this afternoon. I love the story and, of course, Alan Rickman's voice sends me into a sugar coma. I'm not a huge Depp fan, but there are certain characters of his I love and this looks like one of them.

Tons of new tv tonight then a smattering through the next couple of weeks. I'm about to start getting BtAS (not BtVS) from netflix, so that will keep me busy. I saw the first year back when it was originally on, but then we lost the Fox network for a year (and, god, having to scrounge Xfiles from my brother was a nightmare that year!) and got hooked on Tiny Toons and never went back to Batman. I've been watching them on Jetix at night but they're all out of order, and I never did see the last year where Dick became Nightwing and Tim came on board.

I also finally watched the last three hours of Prison Break since it comes back next week. I need to watch the last three Smallvilles, too. Since football is over (and I don't care about tomorrow's game, dislike both teams) I can catch up.

Especially since the stupid muse is dead.

Bitca.

'So, Lara, how was your day?'

'Oh, fine, LJ. Church was small but interesting. Did you know that modern Christmas traditions in America like the tree and exchanging gifts and giving to charity all started with Unitarians?'

'I thought that was Christians, Lara.'

'No, LJ, and apparently some fundamentalists think the Unitarians, those liberal Puritans, have ruined the true meaning of Christmas. Personally, if someone wants to accuse me of being the reason people are charitable in December, I'm happy to take the blame.'

'And how was your parents' party, Lara?'

'Again, small, though the county roads are ten times better than the crappy city streets, but the food was plentiful and lots of good conversations, and I have leftovers plus ice wine, LJ.'

'I noticed your car isn't home, Lara...'

'...'

'Where's your car, Lara?'

'...Halfway into my parents' woods, stuck in the snow...'

...

Yes, in backing out of my parents' driveway so that dad could move his car out of the garage and I could put mine in, so his car could be used to chauffer people from the road up their lane to the party, I backed not only off the lane but ten frickin' feet off the lane, down a slope, into a snow drift. The car is very much stuck, but hopefully it will melt enough by Tuesday that dad can get his truck out of the snow and use the tow cable on my stupid car. Luckily mom can run me to the two quick errands tomorrow and she was already picking me up for service tomorrow night and on Christmas they come here.

Grrrrrrr

And I had to climb over the seats and go out the passenger door, thus yanking my shoulder painfully as I was tilted down about 30 degrees.

Grrrrrrr

I think I'll go have some ice wine...

Last week with the Hos.

Last night with the local gals.

Tonight with my women's group for Solstice.

Women power rocks!

Now I gotta go wrap the presents my brotherfinally had shipped here for our dad. His wife said he'd probably end up paying $100 in shipping between dad's and my gifts because he waited so late. *rolls eyes*

Tomorrow night is Christmas Eve dinner with the folks and various guests (we'll ignore the fact it's actually the 21st) and then a busy weekend with my parents' postponed party. I hope to spend Mondayficcing, if I'm not panicking over the Christmas Eve service falling apart.

- Pick your birth month.
- Strike out anything that doesn't apply to you.
- Bold the five - ten that best apply to you.
- Copy to your own journal, with all the twelve months

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

( rest under hereCollapse )

Well, my parents decided to postpone their party tomorrow so I'm home already and can get my presents wrapped and my baking done this weekend, which I was beginning to wonder when I'd get done. It's snowing but I doubt we'll get more than a couple inches total. Still, they live in the country and their lane is narrow with little parking and people'd have to hike up it in the snow and ice beneath it, so it's probably for the best, and next weekend I have nothing but church stuff planned and would have hated waiting that long to wrap presents.

So, first to the store for ingredients and then flannel pjs and Christmas music before the KU game this afternoon. :)

I did get out to the post office and Target at 9:00 this morning. I'm afraid it's going to be a slow shopping day due to the weather but it was nice with no crowds and I got the child on my tag both a Batman hotwheels car and a shirt, plus mittens and hat for the Mitten Tree at church tomorrow, and a pair of red plaid holiday flannel pjs for me.

My credit card continues to weep.

( meme stolen from someone yesterday, though I did get through the FL this morning, yay meCollapse )

And another meme...

Y'all should comment with things that you think people reading this LJ ought to know about me. If you were describing my LJ to someone who was trying to decide whether to read it, what would you say?

I set my alarm for 6:15 because mom wanted to go to the Farmer's Market holiday thing at 8:00 and I needed to clean the house a bit before she came in to change lightbulbs.

Got up at 7:00. No time to clean. Tough, mom knows I'm a slob.

Went out to McDonalds for breakfast--freezing drizzle but not much and no slippery roads.

Mom called at 7:25 to suggest we not go because...I don't know why, whatever. I wasn't planning to buy anything.

She said she'd be in around 9:00 to change lightbulbs, giving me time to clean.

Notice how it's 8:45 and I'm doing this instead of cleaning.

Then she called again to say 11:00.

Maybe then I'll have time to clean. *g*

I need to clean and do laundry and pack so that I can fic the rest of the day away because I'm majorly behind on ficcing and I leave at dawn for Vegas. Hopefully.

Last night mom was all Katie Horner (local people will know the name of the most hystrionic weather person ever) doom and gloom about my chances of actually getting to KCI in the morning, even suggesting dad take me to an airport hotel this afternoon, because the ice storm of the century was going to hit over Saturday night. It was kind of depressing. I hate ice. Snow I can handle.

So, I went to weather.com and showed her that real local weather (not Kansas City; I tell her over and over and over that KC gets different weather than we do and storms come from the west and go east--we're west of KC--and she needs to find a way to watch Topeka weather since their satellite doesn't get Lawrence or Topeka or Kansas, but Kansas City, Missouri stations) said it was chances for light wintery mix.

Not ice storm of the century.

Or so we hope.

Keep your fingers crossed, please! I really want to go to Vegas even if it is going to be in the 40s there! WTF?!

Jesus it's windy here. Buying a wreath this afternoon I nearly blew over!

At least it only rained and wasn't cold enough to ice as was a possibility.

Twenty four mailing days till Christmas the post office decided it would be a good idea to open today with only one counter person. I got there two minutes after it opened and there were ten people in front of me. Twenty minutes later when I got to the counter there were at least fifteen people behind me. Idiots.

My mom and I made some appetizers and chocolate nummy things and I carried all the boxes of decorations upstairs which guilted dad into finally bringing the trees up like she's been asking him for the last week. I made six trips up and down the stairs straight and was only moderately out of breath. Yay me!

Mom and I wrapped up cooking earlier than I expected so I ran to get the aforementioned wreath, then hit Michaels for a bow, and Cork & Barrel for a bottle of wine for dad. I really need to stop shopping there because I really don't approve of their sneakiness. They'll have say a 2003 so and so as the display bottle and have the blurb with the rating be about it, and then have all the other bottles be a 2004. In some cases, they had none of the blurb year. If you're not in the know, you can end up with an inferior year! Kind of deceptive practice there.

Then I went to Hallmark and found holiday labels and got cards for the family.

I've managed to turn the tree the way I want it, hang up my stockings and the fireplace wreath and Advent calendar and dust one table. Go me.

I find myself in the uncomfortable position of having to root for Missouri tonight. If they win KU is pretty much a guarantee for a BCS bowl; if Oklahoma wins they automatically get a BCS bowl and MU could get in and only two teams from a conference can make it.

Yes, I know I still owe people fics. I'm planning to clean and decorate tonight and write tomorrow while the Chiefs lose. I have to start the holiday fics, too.

Winter Solstice service tomorrow. I need to rehearse the song the choir's singing as I'm the only alto who's going to be there and I don't know the alto part. *sigh*

Oh, I never mentioned how my service on Advent went. Very well. I had several compliments and our minister and my mom both heard from people saying it was my best service ever. My dad--who has never come to one of my services--was blown away. He came for my singing but I think was really surprised at how well I write. Which he shouldn't be considering I have his genes and he's a brilliant writer. :) Our pianist was able to transpose O Come, O Come Emmanuel down several notes and I so enjoyed singing it. Wasn't nervous at all. Our choir director said I have a regular job. *g* I was very happy with the service. You have to put a lot of your own experience into your sermon and I did for this one which balanced out the history of Advent part.

Changing tacks...

I'm still ticked about the filtering thing. I don't plan to flag anything because I just don't want to and I'm very stubborn. I cut all fic. I give serious warnings and ratings in the subject line. I expect parents to pay attention to their kids. As lafemmedarla said (paraphrasing) "if LJ wants me to babysit, they need to pay me $4.00 an hour and give me pizza and pie". I know LJ is trying to cover their corporate ass, but nannying the world is NOT my job.

Hell, I don't even write much NC17 fic these days.

And I'm not going to set my entire journal to either of the settings because I write so much else besides the occasional smut fic. If I set my whole journal to adult, those under eighteen couldn't read this post, for example. I don't think I've even sworn in this post. There's nothing offensive about it! I know for a fact I have one under eighteen on my FL. There may be dozens. I don't really care. Back in the day I knew several under eighteens who read and wrote NC17 fic--some of the best out there, too; it always blew me away! The first person I met in a sub/dom lifestyle was under eighteen and living the lifestyle with her mother's approval and she read and wrote NC17 fic. I wrote bad porn in junior high! But, that's getting away from the fact that I don't want to hide my life or my stories from those who want to read them. Parents need to control what their under eighteens do. If they, like mine, don't care if their kids read erotica, why should I? And, again, there's so much more here than erotica.

If I wanted to hide my life and fic I'd be friends only. I have over a hundred people who have friended me whom I haven't friended back. Maybe they're all thirteen year olds, I don't know!

Anyway, this is my position. We'll see what happens with the corporate stooges here at LJ or see if I get flagged by others. Whatever. My journal is backed up, all my fic is on my harddrive and most on my website. I have back-up journals elsewhere.

I don't have the red hair or the Irish temper of my mother, but I have her stubborness.

So, that's the last I'm going to blather about this for the foreseeable future. I gotta go get dinner before the game starts.

Oh, and if you choose to go friends only or set your journal at one of the settings or flag your posts, that's fine. They're your journals to do with as you want. This is just my opinion and my decision.

::Hugs::

So, today's been my bad cold day (I typically have one miserable day). I woke up several times with congestion and the rain didn't help allow me to sleep. I did go to work but had already decided to make it a partial day. I took some Vicks 44 which, for once, didn't put me to sleep, and I got a lot of actual work done and ended up staying six hours when I'd planned only four. The meds helped, so I didn't feel horrible most of the time, but just worn down, and the boss was leaving and all my work was done so all I would have done was sit there and read.

My brother called to tell me he had an extra ticket to the KU basketball game. Yeah, great. I feel like crap, it's SNOWING and bitterly cold, so not going to the game against Northern Arizona. Real Arizona, possibly. The guys in the office told me to chug Vitamin C and go. The girl...well, she understood about not getting pneumonia for Thanksgiving. *g*

Yes, it did snow, though really didn't stick except on my wooden steps. Stupid weather. 77 yesterday.

Got my comics--the art in Detective is kind of ugly but TIM!

I'm such a Timwhore.

Tonight I managed to sleep through most of the KU game, tidy the kitchen--do dishes--and put away mountains of laundry. I don't think dusting or sweeping is beneficial to my stuffed up head and my current sinus headache--my justification for not cleaning. I have to get up early to bake pies and watch the parade. I LOVE the parade. I cheer when Santa arrives. Yes, I am six. :)

Apparently we're eating around 2:00 instead of the vague 12:00-1:00ish that we heard about earlier. My brother's inlaws never schedule anything. Drives us all batty. I need a time table! My brother's cooking the turkey, though, and he's still more like us than them, so it'll be around 2:00.

Let's see, I've bet three MU people a fic if MU wins on Saturday. Which they will since SI jinxed us. :P

Tonight the Vicks is putting me to sleep so I better get my eBay auctions up and sign off. Here's hoping I can breathe tomorrow.

Stayed home from work with stomach issues. Instead of doing something productive all morning like catch up on tv or pay bills, I slept till 11:30. *sigh*

So, I shall meme:

( more about me than anyone needs to knowCollapse )

I'm home from Chicago (well, technically, Geneva, Illinois as the closest I got to Chicago was the Chicago Premium Outlets in Batavia or Aurora or wherever they are).

Anyone miss me?

*crickets chirp*

*g*

I did manage to keep up with the FL, though I didn't read any fics. I spent most of my online time watching tv I was missing. I'm glad I took my laptop, though I could have used my sister-in-law's desktop as she's always on her laptop.

I had a great, if very rushed, time, as always. Weather was so much nicer than last year when it rained (outdoor malls and rain don't mix). We had a fine, if boring drive north, and then my nephew introduced me to Wii. This is very addictive. If I had one, say goodbye to ficcing!

Friday we hit Toys R Us and then the outlet mall. I got a few clothes items and some shoes. Mom, who wasn't going to buy anything for herself, bought a pair of $200 Ferragamos. *g*

Saturday I lost badly at Wii golf to my nephew (control/strength is something you have to work at--I kept overhitting the green) then went to his final soccer game where he scored a goal! Then mom and I went to lunch at an Irish pub where I saw that KU, at the half, was up by 24 over Nebraska (doubling the score). Then we shopped in the mall, again, mostly for ourselves. I think we'll be hitting Amazon for my brother; I got my sister-in-law a couple of small things. I spent way too much money on a holiday outfit at Coldwater Creek, which I could have done here, but then I've discovered that stores often don't carry quite the same inventory.

My brother tivoed the game so I got home to him watching in the third quarter.

For those of you who don't know, KU beat Nebraska for the third time in my life, 76-39. Nebraska has NEVER given up more than 70 points. :) Our defense was obviously weak in the first half, but in the second half only gave away one legit touchdown, because for the second we had our second/third string in. HAPPINESS! Best thing ever was seeing a sea of blue on the tv screen instead of the traditional sea of red when Nebraska plays here. It used to be that no KU fans went to that game--sold their tickets to Huskers. When you haven't won for over thirty five years, you kind of give up on it ever happening. :)

We went out to dinner last night to a fancy restaurant in Geneva. I had an apple/pecan salad and then crusted halibut in a crawfish/chorizo gumbo over rice that was wonderful.

Then we drove home today, listening to the Chiefs suck and lose. Now I have to go catch up on TV, get ready for the premiere of The Amazing Race, do laundry and start the eBay Christmas/holiday selling.

KU is stupid.

So, dad couldn't get his email working because he needs KU incoming email but Sunflower outgoing because they're hooked to Sunflower (our cable company). I looked up KU's 'how to set up your email faq' and called him to walk him through it.

Except their pop settings are wrong on the website or haven't been updated.

*rolls eyes*

Hopefully someone in the department can give him the correct pop settings tomorrow. The smtp server, I gave him. That's sunflower and it doesn't change.

I refuse to allow him to call a Geek out and spend $80 to set up an email account!

In happier news, the church building budget came in right about where we were expecting it but now cheapskates want to get rid of the skylight in the social hall and save us $12k. Now, personally, I could care less. I live in unnatural light--I never open my blinds and the only light comes in through one side of the French door on the back of the house unless I pull the screen in front of it; my office (which is a former plant/warehouse) has all of four windows in it, and two of them are those glass blocky things high in the ceiling--but the social hall only has natural light on the western glass entry doors and a few high windows in the eastern kitchen. You get rid of 32 feet of skylight and that makes it awfully cave like. Again, I don't care, but people have squawked already about needing lots of natural light.

Still, much progress and pretty much on budget, yay!

I'm way behind on getting ready for my trip on Thursday. *sigh* So, I better get to the next task and then go watch all tonight's tv that I missed while at the meeting. At least I'm keeping up on that. I foresee very little sleep tomorrow night, plus reading comics, especially Batman and the big Tim goes nuts saga which starts tomorrow.

What would you say are the trademarks of my writing? What themes or quirks or turns of phrase have you noticed? What is it that makes a story by me -- well, a story by me?

I'm guessing the generic answer is smut. *g*

So, the day started out with a subpoena. My first! Unfortunately it nearly derailed my trip to Chicago next week as it was for November 1 when I would be halfway to Illinois, but they were able to reschedule for later in November. It's a stupid nuisance case I know nothing about so I have no idea what the expect to get out of me.

I had to turn on my heat two nights ago. It got down to 63 in the house and since that's what my heat is set on overnight and while I'm gone during the day it didn't make much sense not to. I also put heavy red blankie on the bed and have slept better than I have in weeks (basically not moving due to the weight!).

The heat doesn't seem to work in our office. Believe me, my little space heater is not going to be enough. Even with a sweater and it being a sunny day in the 60s I shivered most of the day.

I did walk to the comic book store over lunch which was nice except it was so windy it was freezing! It's only about a block from my office and the boss and the associate were both gone most of the day so I said 'what the hell'. Not that I had a chance to read any of them as I had to do the invoices today.

I'm about a third of the way through the latest Relic book. I've put off reading it because it's just Pendergast (whom I adore) and Constance (who I...well, don't adore) and no one else from the other books, but I'm quite enjoying it. It's a fast read, though, so I'll need something else for Chicago. After online vampire porn discussions with the Ho's I'm thinking of starting Kim Harrison's series over again.

My dad has decided to forgo a desktop for a new laptop (the Geeks salvaged all his data but the reinstall of windows wouldn't take so the computer's toast). He got a Dell with XP. I guess that means our "shared" Gateway laptop is all mine now. :)

Mom and I decided that it's a good thing we're not flying to Chicago after the fiasco of their cancelled flight, the nightmare of their return (two of the three bathrooms were broken and they didn't allow coach passengers to use the business class ones!, the computer in Dublin went down and so they had long delays and there was no wheelchair waiting for mom, the meal was inedible) since dad flew to DC today and his flight was cancelled; luckily he got on another one.

I've decided not to buy a new winter coat this year--I'll make do with last year's even though it's a bit too big now and hopefully will be way too big by the end of winter--but I have to get a couple of heavy yet nice looking sweaters and a couple more heavy skirts--flannel, denim, corduroy, something. I'm freezing my ass off. We'll be hitting Chicago Premier Outlets where there's a Lane Bryant outlet, though for sweaters I can shop anywhere now. :) I thought I had some old KU sweatshirts around here that will now fit but so far all I've found are two boxes of KU basketball Final 4, Big Eight Champ etc. tshirts (which also now all fit but why wear them when someday they might be worth something?). I'll search some more this weekend. That would help to wear with my flannel and long john pj bottoms.

I have fics due Saturday. I have to mow and go to KC and sing on Saturday. I have no clue when fics are going to get done. Plus I had hoped to write all Sunday afternoon, forgetting a church meeting and the need to clean my house before I go on my trip--or at least the downstairs which dad will see when he comes to feed the kitties.

The pictures of me from the professional photographer for the church directory came. They're not hideous. I got a three shot framed for my parents' for Christmas and then a free 8 x11 that I'll bury in a drawer somewhere.

I'm still mostly keeping up with tv. I'm adoring Pushing Daisies mostly because of the quirkiness. I'm not at all sad to see Viva Laughlin go, mostly because its replacement is TAR! I'm so so about Journeyman and Moonlight--still watching but if they disappear, no big loss. I am liking Kid Nation a lot. Reaper rules.

So, as soon as I stop blathering here and load some eBay auctions I'll watch Pushing Daisies and Kid Nation from earlier tonight and only be behind Journeyman and today's DOOL. Unfortunately tomorrow night--fourthings at 7:00--I have yet another meeting so instant behind, but having CSI as a repeat helps. Of course next Thursday and Friday I can't count on watching anything so I'll be majorly behind again.

Okay, outtie...

Well, once again the parents are at the airport...

Dad did run in and check to see if the flight was still on time and it was but who knows what the storms that rolled through here all morning will do towards the east.

I didn't sleep well, getting up at both 4:30 and 6:45 to check the basement/sump pump situation--fine, but I worry in lightning storms that the power will go out. Since I was planning to get up at 7:00 I just stayed up, refreshing weather.com constantly to watch the storms.

KU was supposed to start at 11:30. I was to pick up my parents at 1:00 so I was going to watch most of the first half and tape the second.

Kick off was delayed until 1:15.

*sigh*

So, we listened to it in the car. It was sunshining when I left my house, raining by the time I reached the trafficway/highway 40, and rained off and on but never hard all the way to the airport, even in sunny spots. Apparently it lightninged here because they delayed the game in the middle of the first quarter for a half hour.

Therefore it is just now, at 3:15, half time, we're stomping on Baylor 31-3, and I'll get to watch the whole second half which should wrap up just in time for the Mizzu game (I think, or KSU, one is at 5:30 and one at 8:15).

It didn't rain too much on the way back and was sunshining by Bonner Springs (about 25 miles to the east of Lawrence) though there was spray from the road. Traffic was nothing like last night, thankfully.

Oh, and except for being a little more stuffed up than normal, I feel fine.

Weird ass cold...

Back to ficcing.:)

Well, that was an exciting afternoon. I started feeling slightly worse as the morning went by and decided not to return to work for two hours after taking my parents to the airport because it's Friday and I got everything done this morning. So, I got them there, and got back to their place to leave their car and pick up mine, then ran a few errands and got home around 3:50. At 4:00 my phone rang. It was dad. Their flight was cancelled because the pilot had a family emergency (we later learned his wife died) and they were trying to find a sub. Well, KCI, despite the "International" is a piddly airport that is hub to no one any longer so of course they don't have subs waiting like they would in say Chicago or New York, so ten minutes later I get another call asking me to come pick them up. Meanwhile dad will try to find flights tomorrow.

So, back out to their house I went to get their car (because I don't like driving on the highway at all and if I have to do it I want a big roomy car with incredible horsepower and not my dinky Focus that would have needed both gas and cleaning out), then got back on the highway in time to hit part of rush hour in Kansas City. Luckily the airport is way to the north and you only brush the city itself but, still, I hate highway driving and merging and idiots passing on the right.

Plus, my earache had spread to my other ear, my throat was getting sore, and my head continued to hurt.

:P

And I get to do it all over again tomorrow RIGHT in the middle of the KU televised game.

So, I'll be taping the game and not checking LJ in case of spoilage, which means I'll watch it as soon as I get home (hopefully I'll get most of the first half watched live) which means I'll miss some other game, probably and all this cuts into ficcing time.

But, dad did talk them into bumping their overseas flight from coach to envoy class. He's lucky they actually have the same flights at the same times. KCI really sucks.

So, my lazy afternoon plan of watching last night's tv and laying around with my ear on a heating pad went out the window. And it's dinner time.

While everyone was watching Smallville and Supernatural, I was at a board meeting getting sick.

Not from the meeting.

I was cold all day. True, it was only in the 60s out but our office was 70 and I had on long sleeves. Yesterday it was 70 and I had a short sleeve tshirt on and was fine, yet today I kept shivering. Of course I figured I was just cold.

Then on the way home my left ear started aching. Weird, but I do have waxy build up from allergies.

About halfway through the board meeting I started feeling flushed, my ear kept hurting more, and then finally a low grade headache started. After the meeting I asked our minister and my mom if I looked flushed and they both said yes and then I warned our minister I might not be there to convene on Sunday or I might not have a voice. On the way home, when I coughed (I cough a lot due to sinus drainage) it felt more cold-like. And my ear still hurts.

I'm not cold at the moment and I don't have a fever, but I'm thinking I'm getting a cold.

A weird-ass one that started in my ear.

*rolls eyes*

The only good things are that tomorrow is Friday, I leave at 12:30 to take my parents to the airport and if I feel crappy I just won't go back to work, and my colds only are really bad for the first day or two and then gone within five.

Oh, and my period is due anytime, too.

Plus it's supposed to rain all weekend.

:PPPPPP

Hopefully I'm wrong or I won't be too sick to do my Saturday write-a-thon while watching football.

My dad's computer spent the day at the Geeks. Apparently they were able to download his documents and he had backed up his books, but his harddrive may be toast. Then their dryer went out so I'm currently drying their underwear since they're leaving for Ireland tomorrow. We're just waiting for the third...

At least the lone 'I hate change' voice on the board wasn't there tonight so the meeting was actually pleasant.

Now I'm going to go watch tv under a blanket and hopefully kitties on the couch.

Today is National Coming Out Day.

It may surprise that I'm not really out.

I'm out online, I'm out in my Women's Group, I'm out to my friends, I'm out to one cousin.

I'm not out to my family. I have no clue why. It's not like so many of you who have conservative parents. My parents are very liberal, Unitarians, feminists with gay friends. They wouldn't condemn me. I'm sure they suspect anyway. I think it has more to do with my inate privacy (which doesn't really show up around here, I know *g*, but then my online persona is often very different from my real one. I think my online persona is actually more true to me than my real one.)

So, I'm bisexual. I've known this since I was sixteen. I'm attracted to both men and women, have had sex with both, lean towards women more for relationships and men more for sex (not that i'm doing much leaning at all these days).

I live in the only town in Kansas where it is illegal to discriminate against homosexuals. I live in one of two counties in Kansas that voted against the Kansas Marriage crapola. I belong to one of the most liberal religions which has long been at the forefront of championing social causes. Our Fellowship is a Welcoming Congregatio.

And on that note...


Rev. Kendyl Gibbon's words written for National Coming Out Day. (She's a UU minister)

"There comes a time—to break the silence.
There comes a time—to move beyond the fear.
There comes a time—to speak one's truth, even if it will not be
welcome.
There comes a time—to call into question what has gone before;

There Comes a time to resist the weight of the past.
There comes a time—for the singing of a new song,
There comes a time for a different way of being,
There comes a time for the claiming of power.

There comes a time—when the truth shall at last make us free.
One day, blessedly, the practiced lie dies on our lips,
And the truth becomes more precious than the same, and the pretending
ends.
There comes a time—when somehow courage finds us, or we find courage,

And we dare to know who we are, and what we love.
There comes a time—when friends are there,
Holding us so gently in their love
That all at once the impossible is possible,

And we cross over to the other side of whatever bondage held us.
There comes a time—when the truth at last makes us free,
And in that moment is the salvation of the world."
May love be the truth that makes us free.
May this be our time. Amen.

Ummmm, stuffed full with Italian...food that is. *g*

We went to a new restaurant, Genovese, and it was wonderful. They've opened up the whole upstairs of what used to be a local deli, exposed the original tin ceiling and brick wall (god I love this town), and there are a couple of tables out on a balcony, the only downside being that's where the smokers go. It's Northern Italian food, which my dad loves much more than pasta (though the restaurant does have several pasta dishes because you just can't have an Italian restaurant in mid-America and not offer spaghetti). We made a reservation which was a good thing as the night wore on and it got busier and busier. When we left the bar was full and several people were waiting.

It's always great to see a new restaurant doing well.

What helps is our downtown. We're small town middle America yet our downtown is vibrant and busy all the time. When we left the sounds of music spilled from the tavern next door and a group of runners lit by a torch (not a flashlight, and actual on fire torch) jogged by. It's not just bars--there are dozens of wonderful restaurants and during the day wonderful boutiques, and our department store is celebrating its 150th year!

I love my town.

For dinner I had a valencia orange martini, which was like a screwdriver but lighter on the orange, which was also fresh, and a dish of lamb sugo with mascarpone polenta and fava beans. Mom had a really fresh looking minestrone and dad had a salad. For main course, I had a carbonara with fresh English peas (which I adore and you just can't buy them here), mom had a duo of pastas--one the lamb dish in large ravioli and the other a veal bolognase--while dad had the pork chop over stewed vegetables. For dessert mom had lime sorbetto and dad and I had apple thyme pastry with mascarpone.

Excellent and forthree people with three courses, drinks and coffee, it was just over $100.00.

Plus I'm home in time for SGA. Taping Moonlight or Twilight or whatever it's called. I'm so torn--it's such an obvious rip of Angel--hell, the guy drives a convertible, if he wears a black leather coat...--but it's vampires! Also taping Las Vegas, my guilty pleasure show.

I've watched basically all the shows I've recorded this week outside of Earl and Top Chef. I may review. I may write fic instead.

Oh, thank you so much blackrosebard and greeneyelove for writing drabbles to cheer me up.:)

The martini helped, too.

I'm SO glad the work week is over. Stress is icky. I wish I could just write the day away tomorrow but the choir goes to Manhattan at 1:30 and won't be back until 10:00 or so. Sunday, after church, definitely, and hopefully some tomorrow morning, too. KU doesn't play tomorrow, which is great, but I'm not thrilled about missing the KSU/Texas game on tv. *sigh* So addicted.

But, I'm looking forward to singing, even if I am struggling on some of the numbers. I'm really hoping there's a large alto section so I can just fade out on parts I'm bad at.

I also discovered that I can, with work, slide my great-grandmother's hinged bangle over my right hand. With a lot less work, it goes over the left. The interior diameter is 2 1/2 inches.

My left hand is noticibly smaller than my right.

WTF???

Can I stop losing weight in places like my hands and tits and get it off my gut, please?!

I'm going to have to start wearing children's bracelets!

EWWW and the veins are all showing in the backs of my hands.

Have I mentioned that being able to see veins and touch bone through skin grosses me out?

...

Huh...maybe that's one reason I got fat...

Also, one day into using my new shampoo for added body and I don't like it. While my hair is "shiny", according to B and my mother, it's coarse and frizzy! Not happy. Luckily it was on sale and cheap. I may go back to Dove.

Yes, I really did spend a good half hour discussing my hair with B at work, that in between discussions of the stupidity of the drinking age in this country, the 17lb baby born in Italy, and some 80 year old guy claiming a 5 year old molested him and not the other way around.

TGIF!

Home, exhausted from doing absolutely nothing, stuffed from way too big of a breakfast (shouldn't even have eaten lunch) and am going to go collapse on the couch and watch tv I missed. I have lovely fic from coldfiredragon to read when I am more alive. :)

At least the Chiefs won. Mom said dad and I'll need to drive back and forth along I-70 for every game now. *g*

Columbia gals, some day when I'm not with my parents who barely stop for food, we'll need to meet up and try not to trash each other's schools. *vbg* We did stop in Columbia for a quick lunch and were impressed by the no smoking ordinance. Lawrence did that, too. :)

Have great pics of the wedding--mostly of the nephew dancing up a storm. May post some later.

*yawn*

Apparently Oklahoma.

Well, we needed the rain, but I really didn't need a dead branch coming down out of the tree I should have had removed last year and hanging over the fence into the neighbor's yard. Of course it's not ALL the way down where I could drag it into my yard. No, it's propped into a V in the tree. *sigh*

I hate my yard. I'm all for paving it and putting up a parking lot.

Still...NO WORK TOMORROW!

Wheee!

I have a hair appointment at 8:00 and my toes at 3:30 so I didn't see much point in going to work four five hours with the boss away and the partner out on Wednesday mornings. It gives me a chance to clean my house and do laundry before my trip on Friday since I have choir practice Wednesday night and women's group on Thursday night and we're leaving at dawn on Friday for Indiana. So, if you see me posting fic tomorrow, yell at me to go clean my house.

TV season has officially started with Pretty Mens with Buzz Cuts last night. *happy sigh*

I wondered why Fox was actually showing tv shows before November and then checked to find out that most of the playoffs are on TBS and TNT. Only the actual World Series and a couple other games are on Fox. Very nice. I like everything starting around the same time. Holding shows to November is no way to build an audience.

This week the only other new shows for me (outside of summer stuff that's still on) are Kid Nation, which I'm still dithering about, and Survivor, but then next week is jammed back with...meetings, of course. *sigh*

I have a feeling my weekends are going to be spent watching recorded tv.

I really want to take the Build Your Own Theology course at church this fall since they finally moved it off of Thursday but I don't think that's going to happen, and I've been invited to join the Civic Choir, but that isn't going to happen either. Next year, definitely. I'll be down two meetings as the building will be built so no need for the New Building Committee (meeting tonight, of course) and I'll be off the Exec Board. Hopefully the Spiritual Celebration Team will be running smoothly so I can just convene occasionally and go to the once a month meeting.

Still, way busy! It's really ridiculous. I need to win the lottery so I don't have to work and spend my time ficcing and going to meetings!

(Oh, and the basement only leaked in the usual place though the old sump hole did fill about halfway so we must have gotten quite a lot of rain. B just made it back from court as it started to sprinkle and then it downpoured for a good hour, hour and a half downtown. Naturally my umbrella was half a block away on the floor of my car.)

Well, need to practice choir numbers as our first conference is in ten days and I suck, then make dinner, then go to meeting. :P

1. Go to http://www.careercruising.com/.
2. Put in Username: nycareers, Password: landmark.
3. Take their "Career Matchmaker" questions.
4. Post the top ten results

1.Historian Yeah, well, someone wanna write that dissertation for me? I'm already a historian, just not a paid one, and outside of full time mom, which I don'tthink shows up here, and writer, that's me.
2.Editor I'm good at the technical stuff but suck at the content, which is why I don't beta (well, one reason).
3. Cartoonist / Comic Illustrator Looks at stick figures and laughs.
4. Desktop Publisher Close to writing but still not quite.
5. Archivist Oh yeah, I should have done that route instead of Library Science.
6.Anthropologist Now, that's interesting because I actually do love anthro, both cultural and physical. Most of my Classics degree would be considered anthropology, and gimme a bunch of bones and I'm happy. I even took grad classes as an undergrad in physical anthro just for fun.
7. Political Aide God no
8. Writer Maybe someone's trying to tell me something that this is so far down the list. *sigh*
9. Market Research Analyst Really, god no. I'd have to deal with the public and ask them questions and then I'd have to crawl under a desk and hide!
10.Activist No clue where this one came from! lolol

And I just remembered today that I have to get a new drivers license by Saturday. I never got the forms because I moved since my last license. *sigh* No clue when I'm going to slot that in to Friday (as tomorrow is booked solid with work and Friday isn't much better).

But KU game Saturday night, wheeeeee!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 2,617 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

That's just really sad. And there are over 770K with my first name and my last name is the 8th most popular with just over a million. BORRRRRRING.

No wonder I changed it to Lara, of which there are just under 25,000 and with the still overused last name there are only 82. My parents just weren't cool enough.



From fannish5 What are your five favorite costumes/outfits worn by fictional characters?

1. Definitely Spike's duster. YUMMMMMMMM

2. Pretty much any of the dresses worn by aristocratic Centauri women (though not the bald head).

3. Severus' only outfit, all that droolworthy black wool....

4. The dress Tara wears in Once More With Feeling when she and Willow are dancing outside.

5. Elizabeth's pirate outfit in PotC2 (and probably something in PotC3 but I can't remember)

Very busy day at work as the Secretary was out sick again. I started out with a large pile. By the end of the day it had doubled. Oh well, at least I won't be bored this week.

I got the network working on my phone and promptly downloaded "Carry On My Wayward Son" as my ringtone and Jack Sparrow as my wallpaper. I'm seriously thinking about putting solitaire and majong on the phone for long, boring car rides.

As of yesterday afternoon neither mom nor dad had done anything with their phones. How can you have a new toy and not play!?

Church went very well yesterday. Really nice sized turn-out for Grandparents' day. Our DRE had the right idea not to bill it as intergenerational (where the kids stay) as those had dismal turnouts last year. I did all the convening parts so they flowed much better than last week (we have a script this year and I'm such a stickler, you know I'll follow it). I just feel better when I'm in charge. *g* And, really, as long I just follow the script and don't have to prepare anything beforehand, I'm happy to do it every week. I'll be convening the weeks we have our minister and probably always for the DRE, too, since we work well together.

I have choir practice tonight due to meetings the next two nights.:P Watching tv is really going to be a challenge this year. I foresee myself watching a hell of a lot on the weekends.

So, PLEASE lj cut any spoilers. I don't care about tv guide blurbs--I read those--but after the show is aired, all detailed gushy behind a cut would be highly appreciated. (Y'all do this anyway, 'cause you're goddesses/gods).

I'll post my tv watching schedule later. I can't believe new stuff finally starts next week, for me, starting off with Pretty Mens with Buzzcuts. *happy sigh*

Also yesterday the Chiefs managed to prove that their 0-4 and seriously anemic offense in the preseason was not a ploy/fluke/aberation but what we're stuck with. P. and U.

It's raining here--well, sprinkling off and on. Luckily my big box of food was tucked under the overhang in front of the door so it didn't get wet. At least this month none of the chocolate melted as it is 62 out there. I was actually colder walking back to my car from work as I was this morning (when I wasn't actually cold as the sun was out) walking to work.

I'm sure I had more to babble about, but work fried my brain...

But at least I found my pronouns.

And I wrote two Chloe/Lionel smutlets while playing with my phone.

T-Mobile did an admirable job switching our numbers over in an hour or so.

Verizon...not so much, which means that I can call out on my new phone but I get calls on my old one.

*sigh*

So far I can't access the Tzones network either in order to download pretties and some classic rocker singing something, but hopefully that is just taking longer to activate.

One of the reasons we went with T-Mobile (outside of the fact that Verizon couldn't give us any guarantee that their network reached my parents' house and T-Mobile could) is that dad's new phone can be used in Britain either on T-Mobile's calling plan at 99 cents a minute or with a pre-paid SIM card from over there. Highly preferable to having to rent a phone. While ATT phones are all able to do this, they didn't have a magenta phone! and I don't really need that capability as I'm almost always with my parents and can use dad's. Plus my new phone lets me call over there from here! Wheeeeeee! I doubt they'll let me put nursedarry on my 5 Faves, though. *g*

It's kind of sad that the only 5 Fave I have entered is my office. I need more friends who don't have T-Mobile, as they're free to call regardless.

Okay, KU is about to start, fic must be edited, dinner must be had, there probably should be laundry in there somewhere.

Ooh, magenta Razr phone so pretty! Can take pictures! Can get real singer ringtones! Pretty!

Does not fit in Brighton phone bag. Also Brighton phone bag being red clashes.

As mom says, this means shopping.

Happiness.

Also, obviously App. State was not a fluke.

Back to ficcing.

And using pronouns.