Saturday 6, New Year's Eve edition

Saturday 6.

1. You spot a UFO, a genuine flying saucer. You decide to mention it to those close to you. Do you expect that most would believe you, or assume that you're either joking or nuts?
They'd probably believe me. That's the kind of people I hang out with. :D

2. If it had to be one or the other, would you prefer that your blog readers were all family and friends who knew you personally or folks who had never met you in person, and why?
The second. If my family all read my LJ, I'd never get another cent or another favour out of them.

3. Are you planning to do any special posts tomorrow or Monday to look back over either your best posts or the significant events of 2006?
No.

4. Take the quiz: What kind of jewel are you?
It says I'm a watermelon tourmaline.

5. Do you own a piece of jewelry with this particular jewel in it?
Dude, I've never even HEARD of it.

6. Whether you normally make them or not, suppose that you have to make one new year's resolution: what would it be?
To change only the things I feel like changing.

***

Patrick mentions at the beginning of this edition that "much of the country is under an arctic chill," and I had to go look at a national weather map to understand what he's talking about [i.e. the western half of the country and the northeast] because, uh, I'm in Minnesota and it's 43 and raining here. So if you're unfortunate enough to be in the 50% of the country that's really cold, do like he says and stay indoors. If you're in eastern Minnesota, grab your umbrella and a medium-weight jacket and take a leisurely stroll through the park.

Okay, I just got an alert: it's supposed to change from rain to snow sometime today. I hope so, because my kitchen ceiling is leaking. Leaking ceilings are a source of intense anxiety to watercolourists. Even if it's not happening in your studio, there's still the implied threat that your studio could be next. The snow and slush are gonna make for a dangerous New Year's Eve drive home, though, as if the drunk drivers didn't make it dangerous enough. I'm hoping that at least some people can scrape enough sense together to figure out to stay home if it's ugly. It's exactly the kind of night that makes me glad I'm not a cop or a sheriff's deputy.

same bitch time, same bitch channel...

Last Saturday 8 of the year...

Saturday 8 at their new home.

1. new year's plans?
Sleep and trying to finish Count of Monte Cristo before midnight so I can claim 33 books finished for 2006. Update: Finished at 7 pm. Yay for me!

2. i don't do new year's resolutions, but i think that we all look forward to doing something differently in the new year. what will you do in 2007 that you didn't do in 2006?
Besides writing 2007 on my checks? Uhh...hopefully sell artwork.

3. in the past 24 hours, i have reconnected with 3 old friends that i've not spoken to in years. if you could reconnect with someone from your past who would it be, and why?
Two people: an old friend from junior high, to whom I was kind of an immature dick for a while, which drove her off I think [can't imagine why]; and an ex-boyfriend who I wouldn't mind having back as a friend, because he really was a lot of fun.

4. i live my life not regretting anything ... or at least try not to regret anything that i've done, and look at life as a learning experience. do you have anything that you would have not done/done differently in 2006 as you look back?
I'd probably kick up a bigger stink about the mess that's been made of my student loans.

5. going back to my ex-friends that i reconnected with, one of them REALLY let me down as she chose a guy over our friendship. she wrote to me that she would think back over these past 14 years and kick herself, and wonder what had happened to me? do you have someone that you wronged/wronged you and wonder where they are? what happened to that friendship?
Yup. See 3.

6. one of the other ex-friends is an ex-boyfriend that i had when i was 16. he cheated on me when i was 17, and then i 'got over it' and we had a cordial non-friendship. i'm married and he's married, so i don't have any problem talking with him as there is NO chance at stirring up any old flames. if you had a chance to reconnect with an ex, who would it be, and why? or would you let sleeping "dogs" lie?
See 3.

7. i'm eating to join a weight-loss study. that's right ... i'm about 10 lbs. shy of the weight goal and am actually porking out this coming week as i get free vitamins/supplements, a free registered dietician for two years, and i also get $600/mo. to participate for two years. i'm VERY tall (over 5'9"), so this is going to be difficult! i'm gaining 10 lbs. to lose my original goal of 20 lbs., which will now be 30 lbs. (hey, i want to get back into a size 6 after being a size 10 for a few years!). to gain those 10 lbs., what do you suggest that i eat? any "fun" fattening foods that i should try?
Hershey bars with peanut butter smeared on them. And lots of cheesecake.

8. i'm heading to disney today with the family and friends. what is your favourite theme park, and why?
The one I don't have to go to. Why? Because there is nothing about theme parks that I like. I don't like crowds; I get motion sickness very easily; and "fair food" [e.g. corn dogs, fried cheese curds, ice cream and so on] gives me migraines and/or explosive diarrhea. So there's not a whole lot left except midway games; and frankly, it'd be cheaper and more relaxing to just stand in my living room and throw wiffle balls at the wall, and then drive to Mallwart and buy myself a stuffed elephant.

That said, I hope you guys have a wonderful time; as long as the parks are there anyway, somebody might as well enjoy them.

***

I will now go and bask in the afterglow of the cappuccino I got at Casey's. If you're in the Midwest and feel like a good cappuccino and a donut, they have some of the best. mmm...

same bitch time, same bitch channel...

change in comments

After discovering some spam in the comments, I've enabled word verification. Sorry about the extra step, but hopefully it will prevent me from having to disallow anonymous comments.

I don't spam-hunt every day, so if you see spam in any of the comments, PLEASE E-MAIL ME at grey_nereid ~at~ yahoo ~dot~ com and let me know which entry you saw it in so I can delete it and take further security measures. Thanks!

sbt/sbc

Dropping the Ball

Booking Through Thursday.

Any New Year's Reading Resolutions? A certain number of books you want to read in 2007? Certain genres? Something from your TBR pile? Classics to read? Authors to try? Anything at all??
I want to finish at least 25 books again next year. I'm on 32 now, and if I make it through The Count of Monte Cristo before midnight Sunday, it'll be 33. Not bad for somebody who works full-time and has about five other hobbies/quasi-careers/major interests besides.

In the coming year I'd like to tackle Dostoyevsky's The Idiot, re-read Gulliver's Travels and The Prince, and give Crime and Punishment another stab. Of course, that means I'm gonna have to read a whole bunch of children's books and trashy crime novels to balance out all that stuffy pretentious intellectualism ;) Or not. Shoot me, it's pretentious intellectual season.

***

Thursday Threesome.

::Happy New Year!::

Onesome: Happy--New Year to you and yours! ...any plans for this weekend? Dick Clark? Guy Lombardo? Early to bed?
Holy nuts, is Dick Clark still alive? You know, I didn't used to believe in vampires, but now I'm not so sure...

Anywho. I will be home New Year's Eve, sleeping. I might get up before midnight to watch my computer clock change over, but probably not.

Twosome: New--year, old year. Is this the year you take up skiing? ...or knitting? ...or vacuuming every other day ? Do you have any major project you'd like to tackle? (Sure, 'resolutions' count...)
Not at the moment. I'm sure I'll get bored and come up with something.

Threesome: Year--end chores? Do the lights and decorations come down this weekend? ...or are you already "done with Christmas"?
Oh, I don't know; I might leave them up a while longer, at least until I find closet space for them [I made a couple new ones this year]. I still have a few late cards and presents to send out, so I suppose I should leave the decorations up to remind me to get on the stick and finish them up.

***

Happy New Year to everybody who's celebrating it, and Happy Monday to whoever isn't. [I'll probably end up saying that about ten more times here before next week, but whatever.]

same bitch time, same bitch channel...

Happy Everything

Saturday 6.

1. How many Christmas Cards did you receive from people you hadn't sent cards to, after the "mailing deadline?" Did you send a card anyway?
Deadline, schmeadline. I got a card from my parents. Why they sent it through the mail instead of just giving it to me, I'm not sure, since I see them like three times a week; but whatever. I haven't given them a card. I consider cards a stand-in for presents [if I don't have the money or don't know the person well enough], so I generally don't send cards to people I give presents to.

Ooh, shit, I did get another card from somebody, and I forgot to send her one. I'm going to go visit her soon, though, so I'll give it to her then.

2. At this point, do you weigh more or less than you did on January 1, 2006? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
I don't know. I think I weigh about the same.

3. When the clock strikes Midnight on New Year's, will you be at home, at a party, or somewhere else?
Home. New Year's Eve is a snarling, deadly clusterfuck of drunk drivers, many of whom are not accustomed to night driving; and I value my life, so I stay home.

4. Take the quiz: What's your holiday stress level?
It said it was "moderate." It doesn't sound like it thinks it's moderate, though; check out the nagfest it laid on me. "The holidays sometimes stress you out, but mostly because they wear you down. Take it easy! You can have a fun holiday without running yourself ragged."

Duh, I can? I suppose I can, if I want to, you know, totally ignore everybody else. You run yourself ragged because you're doing nice things for people; and you do nice things for people because it helps maintain your social support network. So yeah, I could just sit on my ass and eat cookies instead of making presents and sending cards. I'd have a great holiday, but then the rest of my year would suck weenie because everybody I cared about would either forget about me totally or think I was an ingrate. I'd rather be stressed out for 2 weeks out of the year than be lonely the whole damn year.

[Maybe I should stop doing the quizzes, because I'm such a bad sport about them; but making fun of them is so entertaining...]

5. Have you ever been the designated driver at a party or outing with your friends?
No. I avoid people when they're drinking, and so should everybody else. Humans are stupid enough when they're sober.

6. Have you ever taken the keys and driven home a friend that you felt was too drunk to drive? If not, do you think you would attempt to if that situation ever arose?
See 5. If it came down to it, I'd take the keys, but only to save the other people on the road. If drunk drivers would only kill themselves, I'd be happy to sit back and watch natural selection take care of those who are too psychologically defective to plan for their own safety.

***

Saturday 8.

1. i'm HOME! it was a long, two-week trip, but i'm back Stateside. what was the last travel experience you had?
What counts as a travel experience? I pretty much just go to work, the store, and appointments.

2. i read 3 books in a week. what was the last book you completed?
It was Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. Depressing, but thought-provoking.

3. i saw 6 or 7 movies in the last two weeks. what was the last movie that you watched?
It was Flags of Our Fathers. Gory, but good. Eastwood's a good director, and Spielberg added just the right touch.

4. my flight was 7.5 hours long to and from iceland. what was your last flight, and where was it to/from?
I don't answer plane questions anymore. I've only been on one plane ride, and if my readers have to hear about it one more time, they're going to de-link me.

5. i have decided to skip christmas cards this year due to the fact that i worked my 2 jobs right up until i left for iceland. did you send out christmas/hanukkah/new year's cards this year?
Yes, I did. I still have some more to send out. So they're gonna be late. Oh n0es.

6. i have been sick with a stomach bug i picked up in iceland since wednesday. what was the last illness that you had?
I have a cold right now.

7. while in iceland, Bank of America LOCKED my debit card ... twice. i'd let them know that i was travelling, but they decided to lock it anyway due to the fact that no one was smart enough to put the required code on my account. i now have to get back $100 in cellphone bills from them that was NOT necessary as i'd taken care of my responsibilities before i'd left. when was the last time you were 'screwed' by a corporation/service?
Well, the student loan consolidation people have been dicking me around for six months; does that count?

8. i am not sure what i'm doing for christmas and have no idea where i'm spending it or if i'm going to be travelling that day, etc. what are your christmas plans if you celebrate? if not, what are you doing on the 25th?
You get the prize for being the one millionth person to ask me that. I'm spending it with my parents.

***

Have a hairy Christmas and a slappy New Year, everybody. And Yule, and Kwanzaa, and Festivus, and everything else. Hell, happy everything. That way I don't have to remember the other holidays.

Be safe, and if you've been naughty this year, you better hope Santa hits your house before he runs out of coal. I'm leaving him bran muffins and Metamucil to help him along.

same bitch time, same bitch channel...

Booking Through Thursday.

1. Any favorite holiday books or stories that you like to read and reread this time of year? And if so, why? What makes it so special to you? Favorites from your childhood? (This is a perfectly good time of year for picture books--it's like watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Adults can "do" cartoons in December.)
WTF? Adults can do cartoons any time of year they want. I seriously doubt the Cartoon Police are going to bust into my apartment while I'm watching "Slayers" DVD's and demand to see my ID as proof that I'm under 18. Also, the most compelling argument that adults can, do, and should do cartoons: Retarded Animal Babies. [So very not safe for work. Or church, or daycare, or anyplace else, for that matter...]

ANYWAY. Books. We were on the topic of favourite holiday stories. No, I don't have any. After seeing Patrick Stewart's horrifying MST3K-worthy version of "A Christmas Carol," I really can't get excited about that story anymore. The rest of them...eh. Character goes through life-changing experience and gets holiday spirit/discovers true meaning of Christmas/&c &c. Can't I just read Sandman comics instead?

2. (Psst. You can talk about favorite movies or tv specials, too, if you want, even though they're not about reading. You know, just this once.)
I think I covered part of that in 1. I've seen the Grinch and Frosty and Rudolph and all those awful things so many times...no. No thank you. The only one I could still maybe watch without having a screaming fit would be the Grinch, and that's mainly because it's a Chuck Jones cartoon, because Jones was a genius. So no. I've been hearing the same holiday music and seeing the same holiday specials for 30 damn years, and I'm just counting my lucky stars that I didn't breed so I won't have to sit through another 15-20 years of Frosty the Goddamn Snowman.

Okay, I could sit through the Beavis and Butthead Christmas special. That was sorta chuckleworthy.

I used to say to my dad every Christmas, "Don't you want to come in and watch [insert name of holiday special here] with me?" And he'd always say no, and I couldn't understand why, because to a ten-year-old, those things RULE. Now I understand all too well.

***

Thursday Threesome.

::Plenty of time::

Onesome: Plenty-- of time, take a deep breath. Overnight/Saturday delivery could work for you... So could a trip a few hundred miles away if you're into shopping on Sunday! How are you doing? Do you have it together?
Um. No.

Twosome: of-- all the states, I'm hearing the worst reports from Ohio! It has no snow! No snow, no Christmas! What's to be done? Is it looking like the normal Christmas weather there for you?
No. It's about 25 degrees above the average temp for this day and location.

Threesome: Time--Time? Good grief, the 24th is days away, and most men haven't even awakened a sense of urgency as yet . Is anyone done, finished, wrapped and resting?
I'd have to see more evidence before I'll accept the stereotype of men not shopping until the day before Christmas. And no, I am not done. I am treating Christmas like income tax returns--as long as everything's postmarked on or before the deadline, it counts as good. So I'll probably be mailing cards and presents tomorrow. If this makes me an honorary man, let me know so I can start scratching myself in public. :P

***

Happy Yule/Christmas/Festivus/Whatever, everybody...

same bitch time, same bitch channel...

mmmm...

...hot chocolate and memes.

Curious as a Cat.

Imagine you're in a terrible depression. What one of your current possessions would best help you endure it?
My sense of humour.

What kind of uniform would you like to wear?
None. I can't think of a single role that involves a uniform that I would do voluntarily.

***

Tuesday's Tales.

More about Old Man Winter…

* What is your favorite winter memory?
This is one of the few things I actually have a favourite of. In my senior year in high school, we had to do a paper on the Civil War. While I was working on this, we had a huge ice storm that knocked out power for something like a week and a half. Luckily, my parents had some old-time oil lamps, and they hung these on the walls for light. So I got a little extra perspective on that historical period by living in [sorta] similar conditions for a little while. I was glad when the power came back on, but in the meantime it was kinda neat to study history by the light of an antique oil lamp and cook over a kerosene heater [not the same as a wood stove, but much closer to it than an electric range].

* What do you think or feel when you walk through freshly fallen snow?
I think it's a shame that I have to walk through it and spoil it, but I might as well because somebody else will walk or drive through it anyway. And at the same time it's kinda neat.

* What are three things that you enjoy most about the winter season?
Christmas vacation, new snowfall [but only if I don't have to shovel it or drive in it], and watching natural selection at work in the form of all the nitwits who fall through the ice even though a] they've been warned it's too thin and b] anybody with a reasonable amount of experience with ice could look at the temps for the past week or two and know that it can't possibly have frozen deep enough to be safe.

* How do the cold winter weather and shorter days affect your mood or outlook on life?
I want to sleep more. And by about mid-February or so, I'm really really fucking sick of clouds. [A short note about Minnesota in February: If you counted on your fingers the number of times the sun showed itself in February, chances are you would only have to take off one mitten.] I will get a little depressed, but it's only partially the lack of light; mostly it's that you can't fucking go outside for more than 2 or 3 minutes without getting frostbite. I think that's why people snowmobile, even though it damages the environment, terrifies the wildlife, and annoys everybody in earshot--if they didn't get outside and do something, anything, they'd strangle somebody.

* Why do you look forward to the winter season?
Same reason you look forward to being caned. Oh, you don't? Well, there you go. In any case, I think I answered that pretty thoroughly in the previous question.

***

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and try to prevent Christmas from kicking my ass.

same bitch time, same bitch channel...

Ho ho, ho!

Okay, I'm not really calling anybody a ho. Yet.

Saturday 6.

1. Christmas cards must be mailed by Monday to arrive on time. Do you think you'll make the deadline?
Hell no.

2. If you had to restrict all of your Christmas shopping to one single store, which one would you choose?
Dick Blick or Michael's. That way if they didn't want art supplies, I could at least make them something.

3. If you had to restrict all of the shopping others did for your Christmas gifts to one store, which would you choose?
Dick Blick or Michael's.

4. Take the quiz: Which Jones Holiday Soda are you?
[rofl] Huh??? Somebody over at Blogthings must be REALLY bored. I hope Santy Claus brings them a latchhook kit or something.

Okay. It says I'm cranberry soda. That actually doesn't sound too bad...

I see Blogthings has switched from the "cord blood video" ad to the "who's your soul mate" ad. I followed the link, and the only way you can get your result is to have it sent to your cell phone. So if you don't have a cell phone, you don't get a soul mate, apparently. I feel sad for all the people over the last forty millennia or so that couldn't find their soul mate because cell phones hadn't been invented yet.

I thought about getting a used cell phone, not buying the plan, and just taking it along when I'm in the car so that if I get stranded on the highway or some other emergency comes up, I can at least call 911. But then I'd end up with a soul mate who only shows up when the car breaks down or the house is on fire or something.

5. You're invited to a Christmas party and are required to bring a dessert. What would you create for the occasion?
Brownies. I know people who'll sit there and fiddlyfuck around for hours making coconut snowmen and marzipan reindeer and all that. And those things are nice. But life is short. From me, you're getting brownies.

6. How many Christmas parties have you been invited to this season? How many have you attended so far?
One; zero.

***

Saturday 8.

1. what is the furthest you've ever travelled from your home?
About 1100 miles.

2. everyone has a dream vacation ... what's yours?
Being able to stay home, but having the money to go wherever I want should I decide to.

3. where you live, is there a marked difference between the amount of daylight you see in the summer and winter?
Yes.

4. what is the coldest temperature you've ever experienced?
I don't remember. I live in Minnesota, though, so I'm guessing it was pretty damn cold.

5. i am used to a minimum of 50% humidity. i'm so dry up here in reykjavik, i am scratching like i've got fleas. what's your common humidity where you live?
Too high for varnishing, I know that.

6. right now, all the news i get is about the serial killer in england. i feel so disconnected from the States. when was the last time you felt "disconnected" from home, and why did you feel that way?
What's "home"? Do you mean home state, home country, what? I'd moved about 7 times before I was eighteen, so I never had a chance to become connected to those places in the first place. I suppose I felt sorta disconnected when I moved up here, just because I had no way to get back, and after six months, maybe one person was still answering my letters. But since I hated the South with the venom of a thousand adders anyway, it wasn't too bad; mostly I was glad to get out of there.

As for feeling disconnected from my country, I've never felt very connected to it, and I've felt no connection since, oh, November 2000. If you really have to ask why, I'm just gonna cry.

7. the coffee here is all instant, even at coffee shoppes. you have to go in to a really chic shoppe and pay about $7-8USD for a good cup of non-instant coffee. would you settle for instant, or are you a coffee-worshipper who would pay that much for a good cup?
I'd settle for instant. I prefer real coffee, but I'll be goddamned if I'm gonna pay $7 for a drink of anything unless I'm either a] going to die without it or b] making $50 an hour.

Are they just unable to get fresh coffee up there, or what?

8. icelanders, though very nice once you get to talking to them, are really perfunctory. they would be considered rude in the U.S. and score REALLY low on the customer service side. they're not mean or rude or condescending, it's just that the 'niceties' we take for granted ("have a nice day" or "thank you!") are not very present here. when was the last time you experienced sub-par customer service?
Dell and the student loan people. [That sounds like a band name.]

***

ew...sinuses...and having to retype "ew" three times to get it right...

That about does it for me for blogging today, I think. Time to go hunt up some food and some Advil. And some real coffee.

same bitch time, same bitch channel...

eh.

Booking Through Thursday. Short and sweet this week.

Audio Books. Yes or No?
Sure, if I can ever find any in the library that don't suck, which isn't very often. I'd just buy them, but they're too expensive.

***

Thursday Threesome.

::Holly Jolly Christmas::

Onesome: Holly-- Hmmm... Do you have holly where you are? Is it used for decorating? ...and if not, what types of greenery are used to show off the season? Inquiring minds and all that...
I don't really pay attention.

Twosome: Jolly-- Jolly Elf or The Grinch? How is your Christmas experience going so far?
It would be fine if it weren't for that fucking music. If I have to hear "All I Want For Christmas Is You" one more time, I'm gonna shoot a reindeer. I don't care what the marketing experts say, holiday music does NOT make me want to shop. It makes me want to burn down a mall.

Threesome: Christmas-- Hey, I miss ol' Burl Ives singing the song in this header: who does your favorite Christmas song? ...and which song is that? Yes, yes, you're allowed more than one ...
There isn't more than one. The only one I can listen to without wanting to poop in somebody's stocking is "The Christmas Song." I don't remember who does it--Nat King Cole or somebody. I can dig that one, but the rest of them, I just cannot stand, especially the Jesus ones. I fantasize about looking out my window and seeing a chorus of smiling carolers down below, and dumping boiling oil on them. But since I can't do that, I just content myself with making up dirty lyrics. So I sing along with the radio, but instead I'm singing "Fuckin' Around The Christmas Tree," "Rudolph the Red-nosed Wino," "Silver Balls," "Violent Night," "Here Comes Satan Claus" and "Drunken Fucked-up Christmas." I also sometimes sing alternate lyrics I've learned from MAD Magazine.

Check that--I also like "PMS for Christmas" from Bob & Tom's Camel Toe CD.

***

And that does that. Merry Mithras and a happy nude year.

same bitch time, same bitch channel...

it's still Saturday in Hawaii...

Saturday 8.

1. i had a holiday dinner last night, and the ambience was decidedly un-romantic. in your locality, what's the most romantic restaurant to take someone on a date?
I don't know. I don't go on dates, and I rarely eat in restaurants.

2. when was the last time you switched jobs?
Several years ago.

3. when was the last time you had a stomach bug?
It's hard to say; there are a lot of things that give me stomach problems, so pinning it down to a single source isn't easy. It's been a few years since I've had something that I definitely believed was a stomach virus.

4. what was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in high school?
That's like asking which drop of water in the ocean is the wettest.

5. what place in your country would you like to visit most?
Anywhere where one of my friends is. I miss them.

6. do you have a pen-colour preference, and what is it? if you don't, what colour do you NOT like to write in?
I don't like writing in yellow. I also tend to avoid weird-coloured ballpoint pens [green, orange] because usually they don't write worth a crap. If I could find a good writing pen with waterproof sepia ink, I'd be pretty happy about that.

7. when was the last time you got sloshed, hammered, piss-drunk, etc., and what was your weapon of choice to get you there?
I don't remember. It was many years ago.

8. what do you plan on doing for the rest of the day?
Making holiday presents and restraining the urge to pull this tooth out.

***

Saturday 6.

1. Do you send Christmas cards? If so, do you write any notes inside the Christmas card or include a "newsletter" about your family, or do you basically just sign your name?
I just sign my name. I never understood the point of holiday letters, unless you have kids or something, or for some other reason, something is actually HAPPENING at your house. It's pretty useless to write a newsletter when there's no news except "I bought a mattress" and "I like vanilla creamer." Nobody wants to read that shit.

2. Are you more likely to shop in a store that has returned the phrase, "Merry Christmas" to its holiday signage?
No. I sometimes still say "Merry Christmas" to people [at least, people that I think are highly likely to celebrate Christmas and not Yule, Hannukah, Festivus, &c.] just because...well, I don't know why, exactly. It sure isn't because I'm excited about Jesus. I think it's more a Minnesota Nice thing. Make the expected noises and don't kick up a fuss. I mean, there's a time and a place for kicking up a fuss, but the checkout line at the grocery store really isn't it. I really want to say "Happy Holidays," but it sounds sorta stupid to say it to the checkout clerk. It looks nice in print because of the stateliness of the H's, but it sounds vaguely pretentious coming out of somebody's mouth for some reason. So mostly I just wait for the person to say it to me, and say, "Thanks, you too."

Nobody says "Happy Yule" to me, and I haven't died from it yet, so I gave up caring about the whole issue.

Maybe I should start saying "Merry Mithras."

3. Do you buy your pets Christmas presents?
Not usually. Every time I try to buy the cat a present, it turns out to be something she doesn't really want or need anyway.

4. Take the quiz: Are you more cat or dog?
It says: "You Are: 40% Dog, 60% Cat"

5. Which have you owned more of during your life, cats or dogs?
Cats. A lot of people don't mind them, but to a noise-sensitive and smell-sensitive person, they're stinky and loud. If you bathed them enough so I could pet them without the smell sticking to me, the poor things would have skin problems. And they're noisy by nature, so you couldn't make them quiet without making them miserable and stressed. I don't think it's right to punish an animal for doing what it does naturally, but the normal amount of noise a dog makes would drive me completely around the bend.

If they managed to breed a reasonably smart, not-so-aromatic dog that felt very little urge to bark, I'd consider one. I say "reasonably smart" because I know some breeding experiments result in animals that have many great qualities but are dumber than a sack of hammers.

6. If you had to come back as one or the other, and assuming you'd belong to an owner who would treat you well, would you rather be a cat or a dog?
I don't really care. I wouldn't be self-aware enough for it to matter to me.

***

So there.

sbt/sbc

Is it Friday yet?

Of course not. I couldn't get that lucky.

Booking Through Thursday.

Do you like to keep your books nearby? Do you collect them? Pile, stack, shelve, hoard them? Or do you get rid of them, send them back to the library, give them away, once you've read them?
Depends on if I think I'll read them again. Mostly I hoard them. If they're library books, I do tend to send them back, because of, y'know, the fines and stuff. I do have a stack of Isaac Asimov books that I want to donate to the used book store because gods help me, I canNOT read him without getting completely bored. I got about 100-200 pages into the Foundation trilogy and gave up. It was like C-SPAN In Space. Even the ones with the robots, which are supposed to be his best-loved works, are boring to me. I don't know if it's because nearly all the characters are male [and the female ones come off as stereotypical], or if it's just the way he tells the story; but I cannot get into it. But by the time I finally convinced my mom to stop buying me Asimov books at yard sales just because she knows I like scifi, I'd accumulated close to a dozen. And they're taking up space. And they could get me credit at a used book store. And I'm sure there's somebody out there who thinks Asimov is Teh Sh1t and would just love these doorstops books.

There are some books from my childhood that I parted with, not because I didn't love them, but because I wanted somebody else to enjoy them. [Now I'm wishing I'd kept some of them...I miss Little Bear and Richard Scarry...]

It'd be nice to have a three-bedroom place, just so I could have a study. I'm sure I could fill at least two and probably three whole walls of shelves with books.

***

Thursday Threesome.

::Christmas is Coming::

Onesome: Christmas-- shopping: done deal? Haven't started? "Oh, man! Yeah, I need to make a list!" (I'm thinking this one may sort out by gender...)
I still have supplies to get, and then I have to finish making presents.

Twosome: is-- it time to decorate yet? ...or do you still have another week or two to go?
I've already done all the decorating I plan to do.

Threesome: Coming-- or going? ...or staying home? Are you visiting or hosting this Christmas? ...or both?
Most likely both.

***

sbt/sbc

Just a brief reminder...

If you run a food company, or are responsible with coming up with recipes for a food company, and you use MSG, hydrolyzed proteins, autolyzed extracts, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, or nitrates in your products--please go kill yourself now, because you are evil incarnate. I do not care why you use them, and I do not care how much your profits would suffer should you stop using them. In fact, I do not give a caramel-coated fuck about you or any aspect of your company. All I care about is going to the store and buying food I can eat that will not make me crazy--something that is getting increasingly difficult and expensive as even the organic food companies [not the real ones, the corporate ones who barely squeak under the FDA's virtually meaningless organic rules] are putting sodium compounds in their products now, and the ones that don't charge you so goddamn much money that you could almost take the same money, buy a farm, and grow your own carrots and chickens.

Well, there's one other thing I want. I'd like to be able to take recipe and product suggestions from people who are kind enough to suggest them to me--and actually be able to eat them. I'm sick of looking like a dick because every time somebody says, "You should try _____, it's really good" I have to read the label and then come back to them and say "Thanks, sorry, but I can't, it has _____ in it."

Okay, there's ONE other tiny thing I want. If you're a nurse in a hospital, make sure the kitchen gets a copy of the patient's food restrictions. If you work in the hospital kitchen, READ THE FUCKING RESTRICTIONS YOU DIPWAD, AND FOLLOW THEM. The next bowl of MSG-laden broth I get in the hospital is gonna end up on somebody's uniform. You spent 4 years in nursing school, don't tell me you can't read a fucking soup label.

Okay, I'm done. Run along and die now.

Thank you.

Taking a break from artsy stuff...

Saturday 8.

1. what is your most-used software program?
It's a tie between Firefox and Windows Media Player.

2. what is your most-used hardware device?
My poor crappy vid card gets taxed a lot.

3. is there a software or hardware device that you currently do not know how to use but would like to learn how to use?
MS Access. I never could get the hang of it.

4. so you have the choice between a hard, crunchy taco or a soft tortilla-wrapped one ... which do you prefer?
Soft tacos. The hard shells cut the inside of my mouth.

5. my father refuses soft-serve ice cream a la twistee treat (altho he has stock there, but whatever), mcdonald's, etc. do you prefer hard ice cream over soft-serve like my dad, or does it not matter as long as you have something sweet?
I like both of them equally.

6. when you have a list of tasks ahead, do you tackle them hardest to easiest or in no particular order?
Depends how energetic I am. If I'm having trouble getting motivated, I'll start with something easy to get me moving. Often I'll alternate between easy and hard tasks so I don't get bored, frustrated or tired too quickly.

7. what is the hardest thing you've ever had to tell someone?
I don't remember, but I know I have a hard time telling people I don't like them anymore.

8. today is my friend's dad's memorial service, which is being held in lieu of a funeral (at his request). it's seriously going to be hard to act merry & party, even though there is going to be a keg and BBQ, etc. i love his mom so much, it's going to be hard for me to enjoy myself due to the reason why we're all gathering today. what was the last hard situation you've had to sit/go through?
A urology exam.

My condolences to your friend.

***

Saturday 6.

1. What is the last fruit or vegetable juice you drank? How long ago did you drink it?
I don't remember. I don't like vegetable juice enough to make it from scratch, and it's damn near impossible to find a bottled version that doesn't have 5000 mg of sodium. For some reason, nearly all fruit juices make me very nauseous [except orange juice, which just gives me an acid stomach].

2. Which are more likely to have on hand: fresh fruit and vegetables or fresh juice?
Fresh fruit or veggies, usually bananas or carrots; they're about the only fresh produce I can eat without getting heartburn or some other painful gastric symptom.

3. Does a negative movie review make you less likely to see the movie? Does a positive review make you more likely to see it?
Yes.

4. Take the quiz: What gender is your brain?
It says: 73% Female, 27% Male That's odd; that's the first quiz of that type I've ever taken--and I've taken quite a few--that didn't split it evenly down the middle [or 60/40]. I'm guessing it has to do with the fact that the choices are either/or rather than scaled or put on a continuum. Either that or it's that damn Premarin. It could also be the fact that I've spent the weekend doing social or family-related activities and am firmly in a mindset that's compatible with female stereotypes. Give me the quiz again after I've been assembling and/or destroying things and you'll likely get a different answer.

5. Which line of description in the results best describes you?
I don't know, I stopped reading it after it told me I think with my heart and not my head. Not only does that not match up with my Meyers-Briggs score [another test I've taken several times, usually getting INTP; I got INFP once, just barely], it's also sorta sexist. Women think with their hearts, men with their heads? That would explain why women are underrepresented in scientific professions--er, except for the fact that the phenomenon seems far less pronounced in Europe than in the United States. It also implies that compassion is a feminine trait. It's not; it's a trait of mature people.

Of course, we love to hold on to ideas like this; any time we're having difficulty finding an excuse not to improve ourselves, we need look no further than our own undies.

6. The U.S. Mint has announced a plan to reintroduce one-dollar coins, this time with former presidents. Would you use one-dollar coins, or is paper still the way to go?
Yeah, sure. I could give a shit either way, as long as it's portable and fits in a vending machine.

What was the matter with the Sacagawea coins, by the way? You know, besides that they didn't have a white male on them. I imagine it's easier to retain one's inflated sense of entitlement when one's race, sex, and religious beliefs are represented on ALL the money instead of just some of it. I'd go for a Martin Luther King dollar coin. It doesn't have to be a president anyway; the one-dollar greenbacks issued during the Civil War had then Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase on them. [Lincoln was on the two.]

***

Back to playing archivist...

same bitch time, same bitch channel...