How things look — LiveJournal

07:58 pm - Home and Safe. Not involved in DC Metro Train incident.

I was not yet on the trains when the collision occurred. Though I do use the affected line every day, it happened in an area beyond my normal commute. I am home and safe, watching news coverage to determine how it might affect my plans tomorrow.

Current Mood: relieved

03:19 pm - Not my month. An Update.

Haven't posted in a while. May hasn't been great. Not terrible, mind, but not that fun.

Health-wise, I haven't been a full strength. At the end of April, my blood tests showed that I managed my glucose levels excellently and lowered my blood pressure back into the healthy range. I even got my cholesterol down to less than half what it measured at its very unhealthy worst, which gave me a very pleasant unexpected surprise.

May, on the other hand, appears full of karmic reminders to keep paying attention to my body through things beyond my immediate control. A few days of an annoying sore throat led to a diagnosis of an ear infection. After treating the ear problem, the sore throat remained, though not so annoying. Then, on Thursday night before Memorial Day, I felt like I pulled a muscle under my eye. Within 4 hours, I had a nasty case of double conjunctivitis which prevented me from going to work on Friday. It ruined our plans for the long weekend, and cost me a day of leave that I would have rather used elsewhere. And the not-so-annoying sore throat remains.

To top it off, I've been experiencing an uncomfortable self-diagnosed diabetes related side effect for a few days. I've had it happen before, so I can treat it; but if it doesn't clear up by Monday or Tuesday, I go back to the doctor for an actual diagnosis. Whee.

Nathan's been rebelling against his potty training, which just makes for general unhappiness for everybody.

Continuing on, this morning some lousy driver decided to move from the right-side left-turn lane into the left-side left turn lane while making the turn without looking. Even in Maryland, where one can pass on the right, where one needs not signal a lane change, changing lanes through an intersection still constitutes a moving violation. Changing lanes through a turn just strikes me as really dumb. After honking my horn and braking hard, the other car moved back into its lane, giving me space to get past in my lane. The other driver then resumed the lane change before completing the turn and proceeded to remain just as choosy about lane occupancy for the next 3 miles. Somebody dented Jo's car in the parking lot the other day, to boot.

The rain for the last few days gave my allergies a break, but also produced a leak in the basement at just the right place to likely require extensive or expensive repairs.

Oh! My two summer session classes began this week, just to tighten the screws.

Job had it way worse, so I can't complain too much. I can be graceful under pressure and get through. I even have the presence of mind to not feel like I'll deserve some kind of "good luck" as a reward for enduring, though I admit it would be nice. Mostly, I know I can choose to be overcome by all this or act productively on my own behalf.

Current Mood: determined

03:33 pm - Details of our recent Silliness.

OK. So my short and somewhat vague entry generated complaints. :)

We did a short skit based on Sweeney Todd, adding a sprinkling of SF Media steroetypes and FarPoint culture.

Enjoy the short, it's about 1.5 minutes. Note that this was taken with our personal camera, and is not the official video. The transcript and a gallery of pics follow.

"THE WORST PIES IN FANDOM"

(Sweeny Todd and Mrs. Lovett enter and stroll arm in arm toward front.)

MC: Even as she and Sweeny Todd stroll along the boardwalk at the seaside convention of Farpoint, Mrs. Lovett remains on the lookout for new fillings for her infamous pies.

(Two viper pilots enter from one side, goes around the couple, exits stage front.)

MC: Viper pilots?

(The couple shake their heads)

MC: No, too drunk.

(A Red Shirt enters from the other side, goes around the couple, exits stage front.)

MC: Red shirts?

(The couple shake their heads)

MC: No, too bland.

(A Ninja enters, goes around the couple, exits stage front. The couple perks up.)

MC: Ah, yes. Perfect. Tender, tasty -- and no one notices if they're missing.

(Sweeney and Lovett brandish the pie pan and rolling pin and quickly stroll after the ninja.)

MC: The "worst pies in fandom" -- on sale now in the lobby. Sara Lee, eat your heart out!

06:23 pm - OMGWTFSQUEEE!!!!1!1!!!!!!eleven!!!

Last year, Jo and I went to see Sweeney Todd.  Several scenes jumped out at us as potential candidates for fun costumes at Dragon*Con.  We cajoled some friends to make the costumes for us.  They were indeed a hit at Dragon*Con.  In fact, while there a small number of Sweeney Todds walking around, there was only one other (that I saw) with a similar idea, and he didn't have a Mrs. Lovett.

Several weeks ago, Jo had an idea for a cute FarPoint Masquerade entry.  She discussed it with me, and then sent it to aforementioned friends for advice on tunring it into an effective sketch.  We hosted a social braintrust at our house and polished the sketch into something that wouldn't embarrass us publicly.

The most useful advice we got?   Short is good, Funny is better, Short and Funny is best.

How useful?  We won. First Place.  In the Champion's Cup Category.  When we entered in the Fantasy Category because I've never been on stage before.  And we also won Most Humorous.

I'm humbled and grateful.

Current Mood: pleased

09:29 am - I have the brain weirdies.

A stray thought this morning combined linguistics, business, computers, existentialism and humor.  After this, I expect that my brain will shut off and hide for a while:

Why don't we hear more about Oracle's logical competitors Andacle and Notacle?

12:02 am - Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Current Mood: happy

07:59 pm - Jumping for Joy

I felt like leaping for a second there.

Current Mood: bouncy

08:29 pm - Truth is stranger than fiction, part N.

 So, for Chanukah, Jo bought a 25th Anniversary Cabbage Patch Kid for Nathan.  I don't think they're particularly different than the originals --  same pudgy features, same Xavier Roberts tattooed ass.  Probably the same "it's the 1980s and we didn't know" Chinese Lead Content(tm).

No problems so far.  Then I noticed the name: Jacob.  Okay.  It's a good solid Jewish name, and since most of our friends gave that name to at least one of their human kids, she figured we could do the same with a sewed ball of stuffing.

Cabbage Patch Kids also have middle names.  Jacob's is Lloyd.

You do the math.

12:19 am - Weird thought for the day

Sometimes my mind does seriously f'ed up stuff.

Try this:  There's an alternate universe where Bruce Banner transforms into an 8-foot tall detective who solves crimes with his "little grey cells" and some poor Belgian schmuck turns green and yells "Poirot SMASH!"

12:37 pm - Uncomfortable FAIL.

Click. Go vote.

Current Mood: amused