Post-Birthday Report

I got the best birthday present EVER yesterday! The exact camera I really, really, REALLY wanted turned up in the mail yesterday, a present from Lynn!

It's a Canon PowerShot A1100IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD!

Lynn really hit the jackpot on this one. It's an excellent camera! It takes AA batteries, which makes it just a smidge bigger than I'd like, but means that if the batteries in it die and I don't have any recharged batteries with me, I can get batteries for it anywhere. Pretty much every 7-11 or gas station I've ever been in has them! It also has a real viewfinder, which most digital cameras don't seem to have these days, and I find a viewfinder much better for action. It has a longer zoom than most small cameras, and the zoom is very easy to get to the precise point you want it to be.

Well, I immediately put batteries in it, and attached the hand strap, and called Lynn to thank her. She was out getting groceries (I learned from her voice mail), so I went straight out to play with my new toy, which is why I missed her return call.

Here's the pond behind the building I live in from the covered bridge:

When I got to the other side of the bridge, I took this one of the bridge, itself:

And here are some of the buildings on my side of the pond (taken from the other side):

You're probably getting tired of seeing the same place over and over again, but the wading bird that lives back there didn't show up. I was disappointed in that, but it seems to have a sixth sense, and never shows up when I have an actual camera with me. Either that, or I walk right up to it without noticing that it's there, scare it half to death, and it flies away before I have a chance to pull out my camera.

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Since yesterday, I've discovered that some other well known people have the same birthday I do, notably Julie Newmar and Bjo Trimble! Oooops! When I looked up Bjo, it turns out her birthday is the day before mine. On Facebook, it looked like it was on the 16th, but no, it's actually on the 15th. Still, there are a lot of people born in August!

I loved Julie Newmar in Oblivion! If you haven't seen it, and liked Tim Curry in Rocky Horror Picture Show, check it out. Musetta Vander plays a female version of him, but with a whip in this movie!

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I got my newest copy of Knit Picks catalog in the mail yesterday, and they not only have a new cashmere blend yarn, they also have brand new colors in so many of their existing yarns! I've been drooling all over the catalog ever since it arrived! My special favorite at the moment is the double knit weight in City Tweed. I've been wanting to try it for a while, and I'm going to have to break down and get some soon.

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It looks like Tuesday has turned into the good night to watch TV! There are new episodes of Warehouse 13, White Collar, Covert Affairs and Memphis Beat on tonight. Enjoy it while you can, because most of the summer shows will finish their seasons this or next week.

Last night, I got a fabulous birthday present in the form of an episode of The Big Bang Theory! 

Years ago, as a tech illustrator, I worked on a project for an aviation toilet. There I was in a room with about eight guys, all working on illustrations and maintenance diagrams, etc., of a toilet for a new military plane.

There were spaces of five to ten minutes of silence, interspersed with jokes about what we were working on. First of all, I wouldn't have thought the topic could be so genuinely funny, and I never would have believed that it could continue to be funny for more than two hours straight, but it was! This particular sentiment was echoed by Sheldon in last night's episode, where they try to fix a design flaw in a toilet for a space station.

The Big Bang Theory is always up there among the top 10 shows I've ever seen for how funny it is, but last night's episode was a gem! It has to be seen to be believed!

I've got to go or I'll never get this post up! Have a great evening and enjoy all the terrific shows while you can!

Happy August!

I intended to write a post welcoming August on the first day of the month.

Yeah, we can all see how much good that intention did!

But August has been here for a few days, and it's nice to take notice of the fact.

I tend to think of August as birthday month. Yes, I was expecting that! Yeah, it is the month that my birthday is in (on the sixteenth, and my birthday wish list is here and I should mention that there are a lot of great presents available used for under $5), but that's beside the point.

I worked for two different companies where over 75% of their employees had birthdays in August, so they had a big birthday party for everyone in the company in that month! Both companies employed a lot of creative people, and most creative people seem to be born then. I don't know why. I'm not trying to say anything with that statement. It's just an observation. Although it has made me think a bit more favorably about the idea of astrology at times.

So, lets get on the subject of birthdays!

Today happens to be the birthday of the president of the US! Yes, Barak Obama is celebrating his birthday today. Or, more accurately, he's having a birthday. I don't know what his plans to celebrate are, but I do know that people all over the country are throwing birthday parties for him even though he probably won't attend.

I know all this because Michelle sent me an email last week asking me to sign a birthday card for him, and I also got an invitation to a party for him in Fairfax.

Living in the DC area has always been fun that way, but I think the internet has brought what used to be a DC phenomenon to the world, or at least the rest of the United States.

Continuing on the birthday theme, Friday (the 6th) is also my granddaughter, Kyle's birthday. Holly will be going to visit her on her birthday. She will be 21 on Friday!

I have a friend that I haven't seen in ages, Whitlock, who was born on the 15th, and there were a couple of years that we started celebrating on his birthday and finished up at the end of mine.

That doesn't seem like a lot, does it?

August is the month that August Party used to be held in (of course). For those that don't know, August was the month that the original Star Trek cast and crew would have a wrap party each year, and the Star Trek fen used to hold August Party, which was a Star Trek convention each year. It's the con I met John at, and I always remember it even though it's not happening anymore.

August is also the month that Pennsic happens! Pennsic is one of my favorite things ever, and I'll be missing it again this year! But I'll be keeping up with what's happening by retweeting stuff from Pennsic in the sidebar, in my Twitter feed. You can keep up with it there, too, should you be interested.

Here are some random photos I found on the internet, to give you an idea of what Pennsic is like.

And here's a photo of the entrance to the Clan Lurkr camp, where I stayed quite a few years ago. As you can see, Wookie (Viscount Sir Wulfbrand Lurkr) likes red!

There are buildings and towers! People make them pre-fab and take them to the camp ground and store them there between Pennsics. I wish I could find some of the photos I took there.

So, stay tuned to the sidebar, or follow me on Twitter to keep up with what's happening if you can't go.

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For the fiberartists out there, Knit Picks is having a contest with a prize of enough cashmere blend yarn to knit a sweater as a prize! If you're not acquainted with them, Knit Picks has quality yarn in natural fibers available at very reasonable prices. You should check them out!

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Note to Lynn: I promised you that I would see an eye doctor for an exam, and I've been putting it off, but I have an appointment for a check up on Friday.

And I think I've run out of steam for today. I'll blog more often in the future!

Have a great rest of the week!

Happy Birthday, John Ellis!

Yesterday was the beginning of March, and the end of all the problems that came with February (I hope). Happy March, everyone!

Today is John's birthday!

Happy Birthday, John!

I met John at one of the first (it may have been the first) August Parties, and we've been friends (and sometimes more) ever since. Other than my mom and my daughter, he's been the best friend I've ever had.

I wish you a day free from all stress, and one that's just fun from beginning to end!

John will be going to see Avatar today in 3D, and I can't wait for a report on it from him. We discussed the 3D process for films last night when I talked to him, and neither of us has actually seen a 3D film, so he's going to let me know what he thinks.

He's also got an appointment with the doctor, and is going to find out if the doctor has any new info on his thyroid function. I wish him the best luck with that!

For anybody who wants more thyroid info, I found a new (to me) website today!

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Here's the astronomy picture of the day for today. It is M78 and Reflecting Dust Clouds in Orion. You can see NASA's photo of the day here. There's also a link on the page to see previous pictures of the day.

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Primeval is on daytime SyFy today. I could swear that as of yesterday the digital TV guide didn't have it scheduled for today, but the TV guide that Comcast provides has been very messed up lately. Some, maybe all, of the problem is the piece of junk that they gave me that they called a DVR. Anyway, it's on.

And daytime SyFy will be showing Jake 2.0 on Thursday!

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While I was at the library yesterday, I picked up the first two Sookie Stackhouse books, and I've started reading them. So far, Sookie has nearly died, and been saved by a vampire. They promise to be good.

In the meantime, I haven't recovered fully from February, so I'm going to quit writing now.

Have a fabulous week!

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Addition:

The latest Dresden Files book, Turn Coat, is out in paperback today!

The next book out in the series will be Changes, available on the sixth of April. But the first chapter of Changes is up on the internet, and you can read it here.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Lynn!

Happy Birthday, Lynn!

You're the best sister ever!

I'm glad I caught you to say "Happy Birthday!" on the phone, but I'm sorry that you have to go to work today! May it be one of the nicest workdays you've ever had!

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I promised John some photos of all the snow, so I need to go out and take them real soon now, while there's some light.

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Legend of the Seeker tonight on the CW!

Hope you've been having a wonderful weekend!

Happy Birthday, Holly!

Today is, I'm sure, a lot of things, but the best one for me is my daughter, Holly's birthday.

Here's a photo of her from last Christmas, of her opening a present.

Here's a link to the words for the Birthday Dirge, just for her!

She's been a wonderful kid, and my best friend, and without a doubt, the best Christmas present I ever got!

Happy Birthday Holly!

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I would usually wait for the day that this is going to happen to talk about it, but I don't want anyone to miss it, so I'm going to talk about it now.

On New Year's Eve, we will have a blue moon, and I thought that was wonderful, but there will also be an eclipse of the moon on the same night! Wow!

Unfortunately, it will be, at best, only a partial eclipse here in the US.

Even more unfortunately, they're predicting rain all day New Year's Eve and into New Year's Day for here, but there might be some of you out there who will be able to see it.

There is controversy about the definition of a blue moon, too, but this one seems to fit some of the definitions. It's definitely the first one of this season, though, since the solstice was last week.

Anyway, if you have any chance of seeing it where you are, please enjoy it for me because the weatherman says I won't get to see it!

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While I was busy gathering information about eclipses and blue moons, I happened to come across a very clear, but funny article about "brain farts," and I thought you'd be interested.

There's been a thread on Ravelry entitled "I am a complete idiot." You can read the thread here if you're a member of Ravelry.

If nothing else, it'll give you a lot of technical jargon that you can use to explain what happened next time you have a brain fart!

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I probably won't be writing tomorrow due to the appointment I have with the dentist.

What is expected for this visit is that he will remove the temporary caps, put a filling in a cavity right next to one of the caps, and then give me the finished caps. That means I should be done with all the dental work I need now and be completely up-to-date and OK!

It also probably means that I'll be feeling bad tomorrow night, but will be probably be OK (or close to OK) on Wednesday.

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In the meantime, there will be a new episode of Eastwick on Wednesday! I'm so excited that it's not completely over! The last episode ended with all three of our heroines at the brink of death!

Have fun on the last Monday of this year!

Happy Birthday, Kyle!

Hey, kid! Have a happy birthday! I'm sending you a link to the Birthday Dirge.

The Birthday Dirge is an old SCA tradition. I've heard that it was invented by the Tuchuks, but that might not be true. What is definitely true is that if you look around the internet, you'll probably find even more lyrics for it, and that new lyrics are being created all the time. I once heard a bard sing the Birthday Dirge for about 20 minutes without repeating lyrics the whole time.

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All this reminds me of Pennsic, which is going strong, even as I write this.

Yesterday was Moonlight Madness. And they had a real, full moon for it, too. Last night was the full moon!

Moonlight Madness is Wednesday of the second week of Pennsic, every year, and they stay open until midnight at the market.

There are so many different things to do there, and one of my favorites is shopping! There are also many different kinds of shopping. For instance, the kind that everybody thinks of is buying things. That's a lot of fun, but you can also go shopping for ideas, which is my favorite kind of shopping. Usually the ideas I get have little to do with what's for sale, except for inspiration. And then there's always shopping for new friends. Meeting people and meeting new people at the market is always fun.

Of course, there are always battles. Bridge battle, field battle, woods battle, melees, sieges, and more!

Then there are the A&S competitions. A&S stands for Arts and Sciences, and could be thought of as craft work. Scadians do just about everything that was done during the middle ages. We have blacksmiths, vitners, brewers, spinners, weavers, leatherworkers, fletchers and so much more. The crafters are the ones that make the fun possible. How could you compete in Archery without a proper bow and arrows? How could you compete in the battles without the proper weapon and armor? How could you even get dressed in the morning without the right clothes?

And A&S leads me right into the subject of classes. There are classes at Pennsic to learn to do almost anything that was done during the Middle Ages. These are one of my favorite things to do there. Learn to bellydance, lucet, brew beer, make jewelry and garb plus lots more.

Bardic circles are fun, too. People group together and tell stories, sing songs and generally entertain each other.

And then, there are the parties! They are loud, fun and last until really late. Where else could you have a drink called a flaming dragon?

There is also the experience of falling asleep every night with drums beating. There used to be the smell of campfires, but they've been having some dry weather lately, and there may not be many, or even any this year. I haven't checked the fire regulations this year.

And speaking of falling asleep and night time, this is the time of year when the Perseids Meteor Shower is happening. Since they moved Pennsic forward in time, they'll be missing the peak of the shower, but it's one of my favorite things there. Going out to the porta-castle in the middle of the night, and watching the stars streak across the sky!

Being at Pennsic is the best way to see it, too. You're up in the mountains, and out in the middle of nowhere, so you can really see the sky. There should be plenty to see near the end of Pennsic, although they'll miss the best part.

One thing they apparently have this year is low-flying choppers early in the morning. There was a big hassle a few years ago about somebody who wanted to do aerial filming of some of the battles. They did put some cameras in the air and film some of it, but there were quite a few people who felt it was not Medieval enough.

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Be sure to check the box in the sidebar from time to time. I'm updating it with info on what's happening at Pennsic, as well as all the other stuff I'm missing at the moment. And some of the retweets I'm putting up will have links to photos, like the one shown here.

Sock Summit is happening this week along with a fiberarts show. And lets not forget about WorldCon! If you miss anything in the Twitter box in the sidebar, you can catch up on it by following me at lostarts on Twitter.

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Burn Notice is showing all day on USA. There will be reruns all day today, and the season finale will be tonight!

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Well, the new computer has been bought and paid for, and now all I have to do is wait for it to arrive to find out how much I'm going to like it or not. I think I'm going to love it! If it works as advertised, I'll have internet access anywhere. And instant blogging, anytime, all the time. Plus the ability to write and draw more easily.

I'm beginning to worry that the problems I'm having with the mouse and keyboard on my desk computer may be in the USB ports of the computer itself rather than the mouse and keyboard. I'll have to get a new mouse and see how that goes. If it works perfectly, then I'm OK. If it has the same problems, then it's probably the computer. We'll see. But if there is a problem with the computer, then at least I'll have the other one to use for some things. I'm really excited about the new one.

Have a great Thursday!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone who has born a child had a very happy day today!

I have had an absolutely wonderful day today!

Holly arrived at 10:30 today, just as she said she would. Unfortunately, I woke up about two minutes before she arrived. But it was all OK.

She took me out to get all the stuff from WalMart that I would've gotten last Sunday if I had had the forethought to be prepared for it, thus saving me a lot of discomfort and dampness (this was the first day for two weeks that it hasn't been raining, plus it's supposed to rain Monday, too). My back is a lot better, but still wouldn't have been happy with having to walk to the bus, and come back on the bus carrying a bunch of heavy stuff. 

We went to an early dinner at Ruby Tuesday and had fun (as usual) just being with each other.

This was followed by the new Star Trek movie!

I have to say it was excellent! I loved it to pieces. I will mention some overall impressions, and I don't think I'm giving too much away here, but if you absolutely don't want to know anything about it, skip the rest of this paragraph. It starts back at the beginning, and tells a story about how the Enterprise crew got together. The wonderful part is that they've gone back to the beginning with a whole new group of actors to play the old characters from the beginning. This story involves time travel, and it changes things so that all the stuff that happened originally may be completely changed. So we have the characters young again, and a chance to tell all new stories from the beginning should they choose to do so. And why wouldn't they?

OK, no more spoilers from here on in. J.J. Abrams did a fabulous movie, with a great story. The story had all the old characters, who were acting so much in character that there was a lot of the movie where I knew exactly what a particular character would do, and, in fact, I was able to say some lines along with the characters on the first run-through. At the same time, the situation had so much in it that was unexpected, and so many actions and reactions that were unexpected that it was exciting, non-stop action/excitement/fun all the way through!

I've had a wonderful day!

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I also want to wish a belated happy birthday to my brother, Jeff!

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

I kind of took yesterday off to let my back get in better shape for today. I don't think he'll see it here on the internet anyway, but I still want to wish him a happy birthday, which was yesterday.

I have to get back to being nice to my back instead of sitting here making it hurt more.

All the photos I promised will be up real soon now.

Oh, I nearly forgot: I watched Doctor Who and Torchwood on BBC in America yesterday, and they were full of trailers for the new season of Primeval, which starts next Saturday, and also (and this is the part I'm really excited about) trailers for Children of Earth, the next Torchwood story, which will be on in July (they're not pinning down exactly when). They didn't say anything about the new Doctor Who Season, though, and I'm disappointed about that.

I hope you've been having as good a weekend as I've had!

Happy April Fools Day!

Happy April Fools Day!

And

Happy Birthday, Malaia!

It just wouldn't be April Fools Day without you!

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Addition:

In case you want to see how Neil Gaiman spent Arpil Fools Day, check this out.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Holly!

Today is Holly's birthday, and I missed her phone call this morning. I also missed calling her this morning.

And Sara, I know today's not your birthday, but I know you're already celebrating, so

Happy Birthday, Sara!

There are lots of birthdays this month!

I missed singing Holly the Birthday Dirge this morning. So, for her, and for all of you having birthdays this month, here it is:

THE BIRTHDAY DIRGE

tune: "Volga Boatmen"

Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!
1. Now you've aged another year
Now you know that Death is near
Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!

1a. So you've aged another year
Now you know that Death is near

2. Children dying far and near
They say that cancer's caused by bheer

2a. Children dying everywhere
Women crying in despair

3. Death, destruction, and despair
People dying everywhere

3a. Doom and gloom and dark despair
People dying everywhere!

3b. Doom, destruction, and despair
Grief and sorrow fill the air

3c. Doom, destruction, and despair
People dying everywhere

3d. Death and gloom and black despair
People dying everywhere

3e. Pain destruction and despair
People dying everywhere

4. Typhoid, plague and polio
Coffins lined up in a row

5. Now that you're the age you are
Your demise cannot be far

5a. Now you are the age you are
Your demise cannot be far

5b. When you've reached the age you are
Your demise cannot be far

Other Common Verses:

6. Black Death has just struck your town
You yourself feel quite run-down

6a. Pestilence has struck your town
You yourself feel quite run-down

7. Birthdays come but once a year
Marking time as Death draws near

8. Long ago your hair turned grey
Now it's falling out, they say

8a. Soon your hair will all turn grey
Then fall out (or so they say)

The Viking/Barbarian Verses:

9. Burn the castle and storm the keep
Kill the women, but save the sheep

9a. Hear the women wail and weep
Kill them all, but spare the sheep

9b. May the women wail and weep
kill them all, but save the sheep

10. Burn, then rape by firelight
Add _romance_ to life tonight

11. Indigestion's what you get
From the enemies you 'et

12. May the candles on your cake
Burn like cities in your wake.

12a. May the cities in your wake
Burn like candles on your cake,

13. May the children in the street
Be your barbequeing meat

13a. We love children, yes we do
Baked or broiled or in a stew

14. May your deeds with sheep and yaks
Equal those with sword and axe

14a. May your deeds with sword and axe
Equal those with sheep and yaks

15. They stole your sword, your gold, your house
Took your sheep but not your spouse

16. This one lesson you must learn
First you pillage, then you burn

17. While you eat your birthday stew
We will loot the town for you,

The SCA Verses:

18. We brought linen, white as cloud
Now we'll sit and sew your shroud

19. You're a period cook, its true
Ask the beetles in the stew

20. Your servants steal, your wife's untrue
Your children plot to murder you

Other Verses:

21. Fear and gloom and darkness but
No one found out you-know-what

21a. Just be glad the friends you've got
Haven't found out you-know-what

22. I'm a leper, can't you see
Have a birthday kiss from me

23. It's your birthday never fear
You'll be dead this time next year

24. Now another year has passed
Don't look now they're gaining fast!

24a. So far Death you have bypassed
Don't look back, he's gaining fast

25. Now you've lived another year
Age to you is like stale beer

26. Now your jail-bait days are done
Let's go out and have some fun

27. See the wrinkles on your face
Like the pattern of fine lace

28. Were I sitting in your shoes
I'd go out and sing the blues

29. So you're 29 again
Don't tell lies to your good friend

29a. Tho you're turning 29
Age to you is like fine wine

30. You must marry very soon
Baby's due the next full moon

31. When you've reached this age you know
That the mind is first to go

Happy birthday to everyone with a birthday this month!

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For all you Firefly fans, the SciFi Channel will be having Serenity on next Saturday! Check local listings.

Have a great Sunday!

Old Friends

Today, I got a comment on my other blog from my ex-husband, Steve!

I was really glad to hear from him since it's been a while, and he's fun. I didn't really want to lose touch.

He's starting a blog at http://www.xanga.com/etienne56. There's not much there yet except the standard "Hi, this is my first blog post, what do I do now?" kind of thing. But check it in a few days.

He's involved in SCA and lives in Chicago. It could develop into a fun blog.

Here is the URL for the trailer for Faintheart that I told you about yesterday. Some people had trouble seeing it on the other blog.

I really want to see this movie, but even if I never do, the trailer is priceless!

Back to the Ravelympics and knitting!

I got nearly 10 inches of the top back done last night. Almost to the bottom of the armholes. Here's what it looks like:



I'm currently thinking about ripping out the top of the back. The cross is just too small. I put a sort of "frame" around it because I thought it would be small, but it's smaller than I thought it would be.

Although I love Viking Patterns for Knitting, I really don't like the way the cables and motifs are charted. The system used doesn't correspond to any charting system I've ever seen, and there is no legend to say what the symbols mean. I can almost figure out how to do them just by looking at the photos of the finished work, but I want to redo the charts so they're easier to read.

In this case, though, I'm going to have to redo the chart just because I want to make it bigger.

You would think that being a graphic artist, I would have no trouble with charting, but I'm beginning to realize that I hate it!

If I ever manage to get together all the charts for this, I think I'm going to sell the pattern. For a lot of money!

Back to the subject!

Last night, I switched back to knitting the wimple for the Ravelympics while I think about the sweater and what I really want to do with it.

If I redo the back, that will mean that I have to work out the whole chart before I can start reknitting. That's a lot of work and will make it much harder to finish in time. It will definitely mean that I will almost certainly not be able to finish the poncho in time for the deadline.

Who am I kidding? It will make it impossible to finish the poncho in time. Period. And it will mean that there's a good chance that I won't even get the sweater finished by the deadline.

But then, if I don't redo it, I'll always wish I had, and every time someone complements me on it (and it will be complement-worthy, even with the smaller cross), I'll think about how wonderful it could have been.

At this point, I think I'm going to leave the back and continue knitting the wimple while I spend some time charting. If I can get the chart done in the new size, I'll rip it and redo. If I can't possibly manage to get the chart working at all, I'll continue with what I have.

I'm really hoping I can get the chart to work.

I've seen some other really nice Celtic knots that I'd like to have charts for. I was going to say that I'd like to chart, but that really isn't true. I just want to knit them, not chart them.

As they say: back to the drawing board.

Joan of Arcadia will be on tonight on SciFi, along with a new Stargate Atlantis.

There will also be new episodes of Psych and Monk on USA.

There will also be some old Doctor Whos and a new Primeval on BBC in America tomorrow. If you missed the pilot of Primeval last week, they'll be rerunning it before the new episode tomorrow.

Primeval is interesting, and could develop into a good show. We'll see. 

Anyway, it's based on the premise that an anomaly/wormhole/something odd has opened up in the Forest of Dean in England and is linking that point with a time when there were dinosaurs, and some of them are getting through. The main character's wife disappeared a while before this, and he thinks she might have gone through the anomaly, and he's hunting for her.

Well, I have lots to do today, and not much time to do it in, so have a great weekend.

Oh, and birthday presents will be gratefully accepted. See the donate button in the sidebar.

Have a great weekend!