Neotoma's Nest at JournalFen

This is bad timing...

2008-11-26T00:55:53Z

my body seems to have decided that this is a good time to come down with a cold/sore throat.

I've taken Robitussin, and will go to bed early. If I feel okay, I'll go to work tomorrow -- if not, my boss already knows and said not to worry about it.

Hopefully this is just a two-day cold and I'll be okay for Thursday. It would be miserable to have to stay how...

Beavering away

2008-11-22T19:52:34Z

Finished --
gblvr's sister -- Fishbone Scarf
Steve T -- Fish Trap scarf in silk/cashmere
molly_o -- baby blanket -- give her the Oceanic Blanket

To do --
me -- Halloween Endpaper Mitts -- finish
Leah J -- Northern Star Scarf and Tam -- start
gblvr's Monster 1 -- Endpaper Mitts -- start
ellen_fremedon -- birthday shawl -- 45% done
Mom -- scarf -- Isar Scarf -- finish
Rhonda -- fish school scarf -- 75% done
Mark -- rat race scarf -- start
gblvr's Niece -- Gator mittens -- start
twistedchick -- shiny secret project -- finish
Nephew 1 -- backpack -- finish
Nephew 2 -- backpack -- finish
Niece -- messenger bag -- finish
Leah E -- Cherry Blossom bag -- finish
Mom -- Square Hole hat and mitts -- start
Steve -- scarf -- choose pattern -- Irish Hiking Scarf or Alan's Pashmina Muffler -- use Ella Rae Silkience
John -- scarf? mitten? -- choose!

Be Nice if I get to them before Epiphany --
gblvr -- Flutterby socks -- finish
me -- Ruffle scarf -- finish (give to Aunt B?)
Kate -- baby's first DNA model and Baby Alligator scarf -- start
Mom -- Norwegian Lace Shaw -- start (figure out that damned pattern!)
gblvr -- scarf -- choose pattern
Uncle Jimmy -- Alligator scarf?
sanj -- Flutterbly socks -- start
marag -- Shell Lace socks for Y -- start (need foot size)
penknife -- Butterfly Bows socks for the VSP -- start (size 10?)
me -- Year of Pig Bag -felt and sew

Sunday at the museum -- any takers?

2008-11-21T01:45:45Z

So, as some of you know, my mom is in town attending a conference on hostels. She's going to be pretty busy until Sunday, at which point she is coming to my place and dumping her suitcase, with the idea of staying overnight for her flight home on Monday.

The plan currently is that we will go to the National Museum of the American Indian (possibly after mass at the National Shrine), and have a late lunch there at Mitsitam Cafe. It's the best food you can get at the Smithsonian, not very expensive, and the seating area is pretty nice with a big window and a waterfall.

I'd sure like company -- for the museum, or just the meal. Let me know if you're interested. We should be eating about 2pm.

...

2008-11-17T02:17:50Z

There was just a mugging outside my apartment. I didn't react to it at first because there are kids in the building who will run around screaming their head off. Thankful, two other people with more prescence of mind were already running down the stairs when I poked my head out my door.

Embroidery Floss of Doom

2008-11-16T18:14:13Z

Ever wonder what one kilogram of embroidery floss looks like?

I went to the Potomac Craftsmen Gallery's Wearable Art and Fiber sale yesterday, and that was on the oddball yarn table. gblvr is either going to do a whole *lot* of one-color projects, or we're going to experiment with overdyeing. Probably both.

That said, the Potomac Craftsmen is having their biannual auction and sale on December 13th at the Potomac Community Center from 10 am to noon. If anyone is interested in coming, it's a great opportunity to get yarn, equipment, books, finished pieces for quilters, spinners, weavers, knitters, crocheters and just about any other fiber artist you could think of.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold -- "The Rise of the Blue Beetle"

2008-11-16T02:11:33Z

In a word...AWESOME!

The comics might have gotten unrelentingly grim in recent years, but this was hysterical!

They are sure playing with Silver Age retro here, and it works so well. Green Arrow and Batman in the teaser, Batman and Jaime throughout the rest of it ("geek detector!" "sidekick!" Batman's internal voice-overs!) were so adorable. Who knew that Batman could be such a wonderful Deadpan Snarker?

I think I will be in love with this in a huge way -- especially since it looks like they are bringing out some of the wackier characters, based on the opening credits.

Death from soap...

2008-11-13T00:50:18Z

I seem to have come down with contact dermatitis from my new bar of soap -- sandalwood is not my friend, it turns out.

I'm tossing it immediately and hoping the bar of Dr. Bronner's I have isn't also going to set me off. Also, liquid Benadryl seems to be my friend, so thank heaven for small favors.

My small contribution to marriage equality

2008-11-02T00:16:03Z

I finished both my projects for the livelongnmarry fundraiser on time and got them to their receipents by today, which was the due date.

The first was an Alligator Scarf for potentinspiratn. She chose the Lemongrass Heather color of Swish DK Superwash, a machine-washable wool from KnitPicks.

It came out rather nice, don't you think?

The second project was a feather-and-fan shaw for meri_oddities based on the Louet Lacey pattern. Instead of Euroflax, I used Shine Sport from Knitpicks, in the Hollyberry color. This is also a machine-washable yarn, being a cotton and modal blend.

It is very large and quite cushy.

And now that I'm done with them, I can focus on my Christmas list, which is still excessively long... but I'm halfway through the felting projects, and the Fishbone Scarf is a dream, so maybe I can get them all done in time.

The color in my eyes is flaking off!

2008-11-01T19:08:57Z

I went to the eye-doctor today, and he says I have Pigment Dispersion Syndrome, which is a condition where flakes of pigment flake off the iris and can clog up the drainage channels in the eye leading to high internal pressure and glaucoma. So I will need to be checked for glaucoma for the rest of my life. Apparently people with green or hazel eyes are more likely to have this syndrome, since there is one pigment laid over another to get those eye colors.

I also ordered a new pair of glasses. Even with the insurance, they were ridiculously expensive -- partly because I wanted sturdy but spiffy frames, and none of the available sets were what you'd call *cheap*, and also because I need the high refractive index lenses as I don't want to be wearing coke-bottles. So I'm probably going to be cutting back on everything for the next month in order to save a bit to *pay* for those glasses.

Apple Rutabaga Soup [omg!delicious]

2008-10-29T01:20:11Z

I got this out of the wingnut free daily -- they have the better crossword and good recipes on occasion. Supposedly this makes 2 quarts of soup

Ingredients

4 ounces butter
1 onion
1 cup peeled, cored and roughly chopped Granny Smith (or other tart baking) apple
1 cup peeled and roughly chopped rutabaga
1 cup peeled, seeded and roughly chopped butternut squash
1 cup peeled and roughly chopped carrots
1 cup peeled and roughly chopped sweet potato
1 quart chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup maple syrup
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt to taste
lemon slices and chives for garnish.

Directions
1. Melt butter in large pot set over medium-high heat.
2. Add the chopped vegetables and cook until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally.
3. Add stock and bring to boil.
4. Reduce heat to low and cook 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables tender.
5. Puree in blender (or food processor).
6. Strain through sieve into the pot used to cook the vegetables.
7. Add cream, maple syrup, cayenne, and salt.
8. Bring to simmer and serve.

I added a little black pepper to give it a bit more kick, but this is a *nice* soup right out of the pot. Let's see how it holds up in a day or two in the fridge.

Oh, if the Silver Age should come again...

2008-10-29T00:21:50Z

I love me some retro-Silver Age wackiness. Fortunately, it looks like on the new cartoon The Brave and the Bold that the Blue Beetle is full of *win*!

Combine with the recent Rogues' Revenge mini tie-in to Final Crisis (oh, Flash Rogues, you are full of Silver Age gimcrackery, and you also *kill* people -- best villains ever!), I might make a serious jump to DC Comics. Or I might just keep buying the smaller, wackier books in both Marvel and DC (Agents of Atlas! A talking gorilla, a robot, a princess from Atlantis, a spaceman, a goddess, and an FBI agent team up to save the world! in the 50s! How can you top that?), and write fic to fill in the rest.

Advice for touring Canada

2008-10-26T23:19:09Z

My Mom has a vacation thing that means she and Dad will be spending a week in Canada at the end of May, probably in Ontario and Quebec. The important thing is that she doesn't want to rent a car. Any suggestions for a retired math teacher and a retired engineer to do for a week?

Still to-doing

2008-10-23T01:28:59Z

To do--
meri_oddities -- finish shawl for livelongnmarry -- due Nov 1 -- wash and give
potentinspiratn -- ~~finished~~
me -- Halloween Endpaper Mitts -- ~~50% done~~ finish
ellen_fremedon -- birthday shawl -- find camel yarn -- did I give it to twistedchick?
gblvr -- Flutterby socks -- finish
Mom -- scarf -- Isar Scarf -- finish
Rhonda -- fish school scarf -- start
Mark -- rat race scarf -- start
gblvr's Niece -- Gator mittens -- start
me -- Antique shawl -- ~~finish~~ block
me -- Ruffle scarf -- finish (give to Aunt B?)
twistedchick -- shiny secret project -- buy yarn on-line
gblvr's Monster 1 -- Endpaper Mitts -- start
Mom -- Square Hole hat and mitts -- start
Mom -- Norwegian Lace Shaw -- start (figure out that damned pattern!)
Nephew 1 -- backpack -- finish
Nephew 2 -- backpack -- finish
Niece -- messenger bag -- finish
Leah E -- Cherry Blossom bag -- finish
Leah J -- Northern Star Scarf and Tam -- Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Midnight
Kate -- baby's first DNA model and Baby Alligator scarf -- start
gblvr -- scarf -- choose pattern
Steve -- scarf -- ~~choose pattern~~ -- weave a Fibonacci Scarf -- choose colors and order rayon chenille
John -- scarf? mitten? -- choose!
Uncle Jimmy -- Alligator scarf?
sanj -- Flutterbly socks -- start
marag -- Shell Lace socks for Y -- start (need foot size)
penknife -- Butterfly Bows socks for the VSP -- start (size 10?)
molly_o -- baby blanket -- start
me -- finish -- Year of Pig Bag

The knit kits are here!

2008-10-17T00:25:36Z

Morehouse Merino makes very nice knitting kits that are suitable for beginning knitters (and for anyone who likes quirky scarves)

The Fish School Scarf is for my sister-in-law R, but when she chose the Caribbean colorway, I don't think she realized how *bright* it would be. It's going to have a lot of red because the varigated yarn seems to be the FantaSea colorway, which I can only hope is either okay or gets muted when knit against the aqua solid.

The Gator Mitts are going to compliment the Baby Alligator Scarf I made gblvr's niece last year. The yarn is not *exactly* the same color, because I made the scarf with Malabrigo in lavender, but it's only available as a kit, so periwinkle Gator Yarn was what I chose.

The Fishbone Scarf is very simple, and won't look too quirky when worn. If I have time to finish it, it might go to gblvr's sister or one of my aunts.

The RatRace Scarf is adorably geeky, and its going to my brother. I hope he wears it to work, because AMD is the kind of place where geekdom is appreciated.

Now I just have to decide which one to start first...

Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to jail

2008-10-16T02:17:56Z

Okay, I've been listening to the debate tonight -- not because it will change my vote, but because I want to hear the candidates speak for themselves, in complete paragraphs, because sound bites are distortions at the best.

But McCain just said 'the pro-abortion movement'. Multiple times!

The more he speaks, the more I *loathe* him.

Washington Revels

2008-10-15T23:23:39Z

I'm going to attend the Washington Christmas Revels this year on either the 6th or 7th of December (that's the weekend gblvr is free). With this years theme being French Canadian, it should be interesting.

Is anyone else interested in going with me? The tickets for adults range from $18 to $45, and for children (under 18) are $12 to $27, and the program is suitable for all-ages.

Updates to the To Do List

2008-10-11T18:09:28Z

To do--
meri_oddities -- finish shawl for livelongnmarry -- due Nov 1 -- cast off, edge, and wash
potentinspiratn -- ~~start~~ added label, mail Alligator scarf for livelongnmarry
me -- Halloween Endpaper Mitts -- ~~start~~ 50% done
ellen_fremedon -- birthday shawl -- find camel yarn -- did I give it to twistedchick?
gblvr -- Flutterby socks -- finish
Mom -- scarf -- ~~pick pattern~~ -- Isar Scarf started
Rhonda -- fish school scarf -- order yarn (Carribean)
Mark -- rat race scarf -- order yarn (Dark Grey or Blackberry)
gblvr's Niece -- Gator mittens -- periwinkle, order yarn
me -- Antique shawl -- finish (give to Aunt D?)
me -- Ruffle scarf -- finish (give to Aunt B?)
twistedchick -- shiny secret project -- check to see if yarn came in
gblvr's Monster 1 -- Endpaper Mitts -- start
Mom -- Square Hole hat and mitts -- start
Mom -- Norwegian Lace Shaw -- start (figure out that damned pattern!)
Nephew 1 -- backpack -- finish
Nephew 2 -- backpack -- start
Niece -- messenger bag -- finish
Leah E -- Cherry Blossom bag -- finish
Leah J -- Irish Hiking Scarf -- choose yarn
Kate -- baby's first DNA model and Baby Alligator scarf -- start
gblvr -- scarf -- choose pattern
Steve -- scarf -- ~~choose pattern~~ -- weave a Fibonacci Scarf -- choose colors and order rayon chenille
John -- scarf? mitten? -- choose!
Uncle Jimmy -- Alligator scarf?
sanj -- Flutterbly socks -- start
marag -- Shell Lace socks for Y -- start (need foot size)
penknife -- Butterfly Bows socks for the VSP -- start (size 10?)
molly_o -- baby blanket -- start
me -- finish -- Year of Pig Bag

Okay, this is just annoying...

2008-10-03T00:08:50Z

For some reason, I can't get Youtube to work anymore. It will load and play the first 2 seconds of a clip, but then it stalls, even though it indicates it is still loading.

What could be causing this, and what do I need to do to fix it?

the Baebes are back!

2008-09-18T03:14:30Z

On Monday, October 20th, the Mediaeval Baebes are playing at the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park. Tickets are $22 in advance (and probably won't be available at the door -- they sold out last time).

I'm going to pick up tickets on Saturday direct from the House of Musical Traditions, if anyone else wants to come. Just let me know, and if you come to Sci-Fi Fridays, give me the money then.

Dance like no one's watching

2008-09-10T03:14:46Z

So I attended my first drop-in session tonight. $15 at the door, which isn't too bad if I only attend ten sessions or less this season.

The teacher does 'Laban based movement', which means nothing to me -- I'm not knowledgeable at all, I just like dancing.

I will have to get a set of sweats or loose pants to do this in -- which means stopping at Target or something. I hate drawstring pants, but I think I'll need the loose fit.

Some of the floor exercise didn't work too well for me -- I'm not too flexible in my legs, even though I can do things like cross my knees over each other so that my feet are pointed in different directions. It might have been that we started from lying on our backs. Or that I'm not good with crouching positions.

Anyway, I had fun, I cleared out my head, and I'll probably do it again next week if the train is favorable again.

Argh....

2008-09-07T20:12:28Z

I am stuck on my marveloustales story -- the one that is due WEDNESDAY.

I have five pages of not terribly coherent plot skeleton, and a couple of cute scenes. Why am I writing in a fandom where two out of three of my favorite characters are *dead*?

The really bad thing is that for writing plot, my inner extrovert wants to come out and talk -- to other people. And I haven't been able to meet up with sanj to talk over this recently, since she's the one local friend most up on all the weirdness of the Marvel Universe. Gah.

Modern dance for fun?

2008-08-24T22:14:53Z

I'm thinking of dropping into the modern dance class a local dance studio -- Liz Lerman Dance Exchange -- but I'm not sure if this is going to be right for me.

Any have any experience with modern dance for a beginner? Is there anything I should look for in a class? Anything that would be a warning sign to avoid the class? What the heck should I *wear* to class -- bearing in mind I have no exercise clothes, because I hate gym and buying exercise clothes in my size is not really easy?

Anyone want to come along the first time? Bolstering each other's courage might work...

Two Paths in the woods (hunting plotbunnies)

2008-08-20T02:44:42Z

I swear, my brain is trying to kill me. I finished the first marveloustales story, to some nice feedback, and have been trying to work on the second.

The prompt is "616 -- Astonishing, genderswap, gen "... pretty simple, right? It's broad enough you can do almost anything, right?

Except my brain wants to do TWO plots, and they are mutually exclusive. In one, I would tackle transgenderism, and actually write Abigail Brand -- who is pretty nifty and would be dealing better with her lover accidentally turning into a woman than he is. In the other, I just write a female version of Beast -- and frankly, Bobby is talking about how he's not phased by meeting a version of his best friend who has always been a woman (in fact, she's kind of hot and he can totally see why the other-him loves her, because he would totally be dating Hank if Hank were a girl) and generally making Scott's head explode from sheer not-phasedness.

I might wind up writing *both* the damned stories. I wonder if that's within the rules.

Hmm, I notice I'm being very mean to Scott. Apparently, I don't think Scott deals well with weirdness, which is ridiculous considering he's been a superhero in the Marvel Universe all his adult life...

DC locals

2008-08-14T02:21:47Z

It's restaurant week, so gblvr and i are going to The Melting Pot in Dupont Circle on Friday after work. Anyone who would like to come, comment at gblvr's before 5pm Thursday.

And now off to the betas...

2008-08-13T23:23:22Z

Finished the first marveloustales story to the betas this afternoon. Almost 9500 words, so I hope they are in the mood to read...

I should start working on the other one, I suppose.