1:33pm: erm, artisan help?
A friend of mine showed me some pictures of his mother's hobby.

A stunning assortment of painted and bejeweled eggs.

I'm just blown away by the craftsmanship here, evident despite the quality of the pictures, and my first thought was "Where do I buy one of those?" I mean, I can think of four people who would love them as a gift for Easter/Christmas/Yule.

So, my question to you, internets, is... What are these called, and how much would they sell for?

4:03am: I'm ready for some football...
Whee! Great way to start the season. Apparently Chuck Norris was there, hookin' the horns. I'm deeply amused, and kinda hope there's a picture of it somewhere.

4:55pm: So, I got a second prayer chain-mail.

Do people think I don't pray enough? Or that I'm in need of some spiritual guidance? These are the first two I've ever received, and within a day of each other. Odd.

3:22am: I really need to stop reading wikipedia, especially late at night when I'm brain-dead.

I've just spent the last two hours reading about the Norman conquest of England, and the Chuch of the Holy Sepulchre, which lead to reviewing the Stations of the Cross and a brief overview of the first Crusade.

I can't even claim this is research for anything. It's... pleasure reading! But, now I want to go to the library and check out books on the Crusades and pull out the old Risk board to re-enact the taking of Constantinople (not Istanbul).

I'm so lame.

1:39am: A postcard memory...
After his divorce, Dad and I spent a lot of time together. We went to movies, spent hours in the bookstore, went to dinner and listened to live bands play in coffee shops. It was a fun period, but it was over too quickly. Within a few months, he started seeing a woman (who has the same first name as my older sister), and I started to worry how this would effect our relationship.

Easter of this year, we're at my aunt's house, doing the whole Easter Sunday ritual of ham and egg hiding, when I teased Dad, "So, when are you getting married?"

There was a pause, he swallowed, and put his hands in view. "Uh," he started, toying with a ring on his finger. "What do you mean, getting?"

I blinked. What? "What?!"

He just grinned and went to get some more coffee.

After a moment to pick my jaw up off the floor, I sought out my sister. "Did you know Dad got married?"

She blinked. And blinked again. "What?!"

I just shrugged and decided that a cup of coffee sounded really good. At the coffee maker, I ran into Dad's girlfriend--no, his new wife. There was an awkward pause, until I finally mustered up a soft, "Uh, congrats."

"Thanks," she smiled. Dad came up behind her and I glared up at him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, trying to keep anger and hurt from my voice.

"We didn't think it was anyone's business but ours," his new wife responded. Dad was curiously quiet on the matter.

7:12pm: Random Redux
My appologies for disappearing for as long as I did. I was distracted by pretty shiny new things, and had the begining of a serious, long-term relationship. The relationship didn't work out, and the distraction of MMOs has lessened into a more healthy interest.

Okay, so I ditched all y'all for a guy and a video game. And I'm sorry.

Real-life is ugly, and I'm not going to talk about it very much. At least until I can make some coherent sense of it. Random status: single again, job sucks, mom's still not well from her surgery last year, dad got divorced and then remarried without telling anyone.

In fanish news, Forever Knight is going to swallow my soul. Or at least, eat my brain until nothing is left. I have fic bunnies!! I haven't had a non-RPS fic bunny in years, and haven't had the urge to write in months. I forgot what being inspired felt like.

It's full circle. FK was my first fandom. I'd been a fan before, but this was my first taste of the beautiful insanity that was Fandom. Of course, that just lead to other things, some better, some worse.

And now of course, I want to make FK icons and talk endlessly about the relationship between Nick and LaCroix, and how Nick used Natalie and all the cheesiness that comes from a tv show about a vampire cop.

(And meanwhile, I'm extremely thankful that my first attempts at fanfic have been conviently lost in the passage of time and I won't be tempted to dig it up and cringe at just what my high-school self had been thinking.)

I think I need a LaCroix icon. Because Uncle demands it. I will settle for the Vader one (for now), because bad ass villany is love.

12:14am: Hi!

3:56am: Just a quick post...
Sorry I haven't been around much. AIM seems to hate me, but I think I have the problem figured out. I'm just going to reinstall my client and see if that fixes everything.

My hand is healed, with a nice big scar I keep picking at, but now I've got this flu-like thing that's zapping my will to live. Of course, even though I've still got sick time left, I can't take off work. I'm still trying to catch up from my vacation and maiming myself.

Y'all all know my parents came through for me on Christmas, with an ipod and a new camera, but apparently I was very good this year, and they also got me some nice birthday presents. Mom bought me a dinning room table, and it's just gorgeous. I'm going to take pictures as soon as I can find the energy to hang up the paintings I've got strewn across it. My other present: a Star Wars Galaxies account. Woo! Star Wars + roleplaying + virtually killing people who piss me off = Random Heaven.

And now, I'm going to see if the tylenol is working and I can actually find a comfortable position to sleep in. Cold sweats and body aches suck, y'all.

7:35pm: oy...
My father...bless him.

We were talking about movies, as we're wont to do, and he brought up this new flick about castrastion. I hadn't heard about it, and he said, "I thought you liked Spielberg. [Girlfriend] said you'd really like Eunuch."

I just about died.

"Dad," I said, "I don't think it's about castration. I'm pretty sure it's about the Olympics. And... I think the title's Munich."

1:17am: My hand...
( cut for grossness )

Whoever invented neosporin with pain reliever deserves a prize. Best thing since pre-sliced bread. ;D

4:55pm: I fucking give up. I just wasn't meant to go to school this semester.

Also? When I scream, "OW FUCK THAT HURTS GET AWAY FROM ME!" that does not mean you should continue to dig into my open wound with your dull scissors. And if you do, don't be surprised and upset when I kick you. Seriously. It was an involuntary reflex, I swear.

I'm in a bad mood and in pain, so I'm going to stay off AIM for a while. I hope everyone is having a better day.

5:14am: *twitch*
Do not click this link if you have things to do today.

Seriously. It's 5am right now, and I've been going at this since, oh, midnight.

It's fucking crack. I'm on level 16, after five freakin' hours of playing, and there are 81 levels in all, supposively.

1:41am: Zombie!
( Cut for memeage: Which Survivor of Apocalypse Am I? )

6:40pm: A few things...
First of all, happy birthday linda3m! I hope your day is bright and joy shines on you in the coming year.

* * *

My dad got me an iPod for christmas. Technically, he got me a gift card to the Apple store for an outrageous amount. I ended up getting the nano, and I've got a ton of credit at the iTunes store now.

Question, if y'all know: Can I play ipod video on my computer? Because they've got the Rose Bowl for download...

* * *

Tried washing my hair today. I joke a lot about chopping all my hair off, but I'm going to cry if I can't get all these tangles out and actually have to go through with it.

* * *

The numbers I'm hearing about the crowds tomorrow kind of thrill and worry me at the same time. Rumor is there's going to be at least 10,000 people at the store tomorrow, but could easily be triple to ten times that amount. Wow. Now, another question: should I get my picture taken with the crystal football? Part of me wants to, and the other part of me thinks it's about as cheesy as dressing up as a jedi for the opening of Star Wars.

I do wonder if I can still find a #10 jersey in this town.

* * *

That's all for now. I'm working on a fannish-type post, but that'll have to wait until after dinner. I'm hungry, and if I going to get something to eat, I'll have to figure out what to do with this wet mess on my head.

1:08pm: Victory lap...
You know, I'm a little afraid to leave my house. This city is *nuts*.

Depending on how I feel tonight, I might head out and take some pics of the Tower.

Also, just got a call.

The Trophy is going to be in my store on Saturday. Wheee!

2:00am: gip!
also, this one:



:D :D :D

11:28pm: The eyes of Texas are upon you....
Who's your daddy, Reggie Bush? Come on! WHO'S YOUR DADDY?!

5:29pm: OMGSQUEEE!
New book! With Wedge and Tycho! NEW BOOK!

And it's writen by my favorite EU author EVER.

But it doesn't come out until May 30. *cries*

BUT WEDGE AND TYCHO IN A NEW BOOK YAYAYAYAYAYAY!

*cough* Okay. Really. Gonna clean the kitchen now.

4:32pm: Fic!
OMG, I haven't written in so long, I was begining to think I'd forgotten how.

This is all funkyhelix's fault, because she encouraged me and told me to write her My Own Private Idaho fic. And when Tangles says jump, bitches say how high.

RPS. Gus Van Sant/River Phoenix. PG.
654 words, written in 45 minutes.

Summary: Gus is a perv. But that's okay. River likes it.

( Last Temptation )

1:17am: Happy New Year's!
I think that everyone is required to spend at least one New Year's Eve in the emergency room.

This year was my year.

A dirty accident with a loaf of bread and a very very sharp bread knife, I now have five very pretty stitches in my left hand. Luckily, I had my camera with me. Pics to follow. :D

Note to the dickhead ER admitting nurse: The correct response when a woman who comes in with a bloody towel pressed between her hands is NOT "You've *got* to be kidding me." Thanks. All my love, Random.

12:28pm: So, yesterday I was kind of getting paranoid about work. You see, I've been on vacation, and they haven't called me. Not once. Made me think, do they even need me? Will I have a job when I go back next week?

Hahahaha. My boss just called me. The conversation went as follows:

Him: "Hi, how are you enjoying your vacation?"
Me: "Oh, I'm loving it. It's so great."
Him, sounding a little panicked: "You're still coming back next week, right?"
Me: "Uh, yeah."
Him: "Whew. Okay. Good. Just checking. Bye!"

I'm begining to think the reason we get along so well is because we're both dorks.

12:14am:

In the year 2006 I resolve to: Slap stupid people in the head. Get your resolution here

If only I didn't have to worry about being fired....

6:36pm: guh
Watching Children of Dune now. These movies are so painfully pretty.

And "the golden path" sounds so dirty.

12:52pm: Mom and I went to the movies yesterday and saw Syriana. Excellent movie. If you have a chance, watch it.

The movie, however, got me thinking about a few things, namely a research project I had proposed then eventually abandoned about a year ago. I'm pondering taking it up again, because god, it's fascinating.

And, you know, it'd make a really good movie :D

The story centers around a man named Billy Sol Estes. In the 60s, he was arrested and imprisoned for defrauding the US government out of millions of dollars in a cotton scheme in South Texas. The scheme was so deep, and so complicated, the only way that Estes could have pulled it off was if he had government help. In 1984, before he was released from prision, Estes confided in a Texas Ranger that of course he had help. The trail, he said, led directly to then-Vice President Johnson, who he confided also had a hand in the asassination of JFK.

This just intrigues me, not for the implication of LBJ in JFK's murder (which I've believed all along, secretly), but the question about can you take the word of a con man? Is he telling the truth and he's just a victim of circumstance, or is his really just a pawn in the bigger game? It boggles my mind. In a good way, mind.

As I said, I think it'd make a good movie.

9:56pm: Eleven days vacation + christmas candy = Can't. Sit. Still.