Meteor Shower!

That's a meteor shower from last year.

I usually try to keep up with these things, but the Lyrid Meteor Shower snuck up on me and I nearly missed it! Actually I haven't really missed the Lyrids, but they seem to be starting earlier than expected this year. There are more articles here and here, and you can find many more on the internet after a brief search.

There was an incredible fireball seen in several states last night. There's an amazing video here, too.

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Are you one of those annoying people who goes around asking people "What's your sign?" Well, here's a new one for you.

People are now trying to identify personality types by assessing their blood types! Check it out and read more about yourself and your friends!

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Today is the day in the US when tax returns have to be mailed.

And to cheer you up, lots of people are making free things available today! Check out this, too!

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I have lots to do, and not much time to do it in, so I have to go, now.

I hope you're having a wonderful week!

Fairy Doors!

I've been following Christopher Gorham on Twitter, and he's apparently in Ann Arbor at the time I write this. He keeps posting links to photos of Fairy Doors in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you've been following me on Twitter, I've retweeted many of them.

Apparently, Ann Arbor is beginning to earn a reputation for being a place to find fairy doors, tiny doors that are located in random places in buildings in downtown Ann Arbor. They seem to appear in baseboards or other low spots in buildings, rather like traditional mouse holes. Only much more endearing and fun.

They seem to have started inside the Wright home, and have spread from there. That last link has a ton of information about them. Just keep clicking the links to other pages on the site. There's even a Tooth Fairy door at a dentist's office (see above)! You can wander around this site for quite a while without seeing it all, so check it out! If you keep going on the site, you will eventually find a way to get some fairy doors of your own!

And you can read about, and see photos of a fairy door hunt here. And don't forget to check out fairy doors on Etsy.

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Book review for a series better than Twilight!

I've just finished reading the whole Mediator series of books by Meg Cabot. The series is one of the best love stories I've ever read. I almost want to go back and read it all over again.

The heroine is wonderful, too. Susannah Simon is the kind of role model that's good for teenage girls, not like Bella, who can't seem to stay out of trouble or do anything to help herself once she's created it. Suze is the kind of young woman who is smart, funny, quick on her feet and with her fists, and an absolute joy to read about.

Suze is a mediator--someone who helps ghosts find their way to wherever they're going after death. She's also someone who isn't afraid of a little action, even if it means punching a ghost. She says, "After all, nasal cartilage is nasal cartilage."

The story starts after her mother marries a man who lives in on the other side of the US, and she and Suze move from New York to Northern California. She not only gains a step father, but three step brothers, which she proceeds to nickname Dopey, Sleepy, and Doc.

Once she arrives at her new home, she finds that she's not only gained a new step family, but also a ghost named Jesse, who is (unbenownst to her mother) her roommate!

If you liked Twilight, try this out, it's excellent.

The books in the series are:

1. Shadowland
2. Ninth Key
3. Reunion
4. Darkest Hour
5. Haunted
6. Twilight

Try them. You'll love them.

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For any of you out there who are into helping animals in trouble, I have a friend who has opened his home to many rescued, otherwise unplaceable dogs and cats. He's currently in financial trouble, and in danger of losing his home. Losing his home would be a tragedy for him, but would mean a death sentence for the animals he's currently helping. If you feel you can help, here is the link with more information.

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We have another Warehouse 13 to look forward to this evening!

Have fun!

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Addition:

Don't forget to watch the meteor shower tonight!

Persieds Meteor Shower!

After three weekdays since being shipped through FedEx, my tracking number is still not in the system for the package with my computer in it. I'd like to go out and do something, but I'm worried about not being home when it's delivered.

I know that I didn't pay all that much for it, but it's a lot of money for me to pay for anything.

So, I'm worried about when it will arrive (and will I be right here to get it?), and how it's going to perform once it arrives. Will it do what I hope it will? According to reviews by other people who have one, yes, it will. But there are so many questions I have about it that won't be resolved until it arrives.

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In the next couple of days, the Persieds Meteor Shower will be happening. Actually, it's already happening, but it will reach it's height on the 12th.

You can find viewing tips here. Scroll down to Persieds.

Find more information about it here.

I'm really excited about it all! The shooting stars have long been one of my favorite parts of Pennsic, and I'm really sorry that they moved the dates forward so that I would miss the best of it even if I could go.

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The Hugo Awards were last night, but you know that if you've been following me on Twitter or checked this blog last night and got Neil Gaiman's first-hand reactions to winning Best Novel for The Graveyard Book.

Congratulations, Neil and all the other winners!

Have a great evening tonight, and get out there tomorrow night and watch some shooting stars!

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Addition:

More information on the Hugo Awards!

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!

Meteor Shower!

We are over 140 votes for the cover of the first in the series of Steve Canyon DVDs! If you haven't already, vote now!

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Watch some Shooting Stars in October!

We have two, count 'em, two meteor showers in October! You can find out more about it here, and here; and discover more about the October night sky here. I love meteor showers!

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I've been doing some more work on the bedroom. It now has a functional (horizontal) bed! And I found some sheets for it in some of the boxes I've unpacked!

The unpacking continues, and I need to start moving the bedroom furniture into the bedroom now that there's a little more room. Still lots of work and heavy lifting to do in the next week.

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It looks like we may have almost a duplicate of last weekend's perfect weather for our trip to the Renfair on Saturday! 

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John has been sending me funny photos, and I don't know where he got them, but I thought you might enjoy some of them, too.

This one is especially for Holly!

Have a great day!